Result: Yankees 7, Cardinals 0
Weather: 74 degrees, partly cloudy
By Rob Rains
JUPITER, Fla. – As the Cardinals evaluate candidates should a spot open up in their starting rotation this spring, Michael McGreevy showed again on Wednesday that he wants to be somewhere in the mix.
McGreevy got the start against the Yankees in Tampa and all he did was retire all six batters he faced, striking out two.
It was a rougher game for Tink Hence, another of the Cardinals top pitching prospects. He followed McGreevy to the mound, gave up a leadoff home run and retired only one of the seven hitters he faced, being charged with six runs.
The Cardinals fell to 1-4 to start the spring.
Here is how Wednesday’s game broke down:
High: McGreevy needed just 21 pitches to record his six outs, 14 of them strikes.
Low: The Cardinals were shut out on just three hits, one day after they had only two hits against the Blue Jays.
At the plate: The first 16 batters were retired in order before Matt Koperniak got the Cardinals’ first hit in the game, a single with one out in the sixth. Michael Siani followed with another single\, but both runners were stranded. Their only other hit was an infield single by Jose Fermin in the ninth … The Cardinals struck out 12 times in the game, including Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker and Nolan Arenado twice each … Winn is hitless in nine at-bats to start the spring.
On the mound: After Hence struggled in the third inning, he re-entered the game in the fourth thanks to the spring training rule and worked a 1-2-3 inning … Ryan Fernandez struck out the side in his inning of work and Riley O’Brien pitched around two hits to also work a scoreless inning.
Worth noting: Arenado, who was 0-of-3, made the four-hour drive to Tampa because he didn’t want to take consecutive days off … The Cardinals said that Erick Fedde will get the start on Friday while Sonny Gray will get in his first spring appearance in a simulated game on a back field the same day … The Cardinals’ full minor-league camp will open on Friday … The Cardinals will be back at George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa in August to play the Tampa Bay Rays, who had their regula-season games moved to the Yankees’ spring home because of hurricane damage to Tropicana Field.
Up next: The Cardinals will be back in Jupiter on Thursday to play the Marlins. Andre Pallante will make his first start of the spring.
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