Result: Cardinals 9, Blue Jays 5
Weather: 82 degrees, sunny
By Rob Rains
JUPITER, Fla. – It seemed like an unusual request for his manager to make when reliever Chris Roycroft came into the game on Sunday, but Oli Marmol had some logic behind it.
“I was sitting there next to Jon Jay and I was like, ‘Man I hope he walks this first guy’,” Marmol said. “I wanted to see some traffic. You want to see a little bit of adversity, be tested a little bit.”
Roycroft, battling for a spot in the Cardinals’ bullpen, hasn’t had to pitch with many runners on base this spring, allowing only three hits and one walk in his five scoreless innings before coming in against the Blue Jays in the eighth inning.
Roycroft did in fact walk the first hitter before retiring the next two in order. A single followed before Roycroft got the third out on a ground ball.
“There’s just a solid rhythm to him right now where he is not getting sped up,” Marmol said.
Marmol also liked the fact his team’s offense, which has struggled all spring, finally had a good day.
Here is how Saturday’s game broke down:
High: The offense pounded out 16 hits and scored a spring-best nine runs.
Low: Michael Siani snapped an 0-of-24 streak with his second hit of the spring, then got picked off first.
At the plate: Three of the hits came from Brendan Donovan, who drove in two runs … Alec Burleson hit his second homer of the spring and added a two-run single … Lars Nootbaar also hit his first homer and reaching base on a single and a walk … Matt Koperniak remained one of the team’s hottest hitters with a run-scoring double … Jordan Walker returned to the lineup after missing nine days (knee inflammation) and struck out twice and walked.
On the mound: Andre Pallante worked the first five innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits and two walks. He struck out five … Ryan Helsley needed only eight pitches to retire the Blue Jays in order in his one inning and JoJo Romero pitched around a single, striking out two. He has not allowed a run in his seven innings this spring.
Worth noting: Marmol said the team wants to give Walker as many at-bats “as we can” over the final week of the spring “without wearing him out.” This will include getting extra work on the back fields … Reliever Roddery Munoz was optioned to Memphis after Friday night’s game. He had been a starter with the Marlins last year and Marmol said, “We asked him to jump into a relief role and I liked what we saw.” … Riley O’Brien, who also had been battling for a bullpen spot, was optioned to Memphis on Saturday. His outing on Friday night was hist appearance since Feb. 26 as he dealt with elbow discomfort … Newly acquired reliever Phil Maton is expected to throw a live batting practice on Sunday.
Up next: The Cardinals will be the visiting team for Sunday’s game against the Marlins. Sonny Gray is scheduled to make his third start of the spring.
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