Postcard from Cardinals spring training camp for Friday, March 6, 2026
Result: Cardinals 10, Orioles 2
Weather: Partly cloudy, 84 degrees
By Rob Rains
JUPITER, Fla. – It was Nelson Velazquez’s turn to enter the left-field competition for the Cardinals on Friday.
Velazquez hit his first homer of the spring and also had a single to help the Cardinals defeat the Orioles in Sarasota, completing a 2-0 swing to the west coast of Florida the last two days.
Velazquez, in camp as a non-roster player after signing as a minor-league free agent, is one of several candidates to open the season in left field for the Cardinals while Lars Nootbaar recovers from off-season surgery on both of his heels.
Velazquez has hit 31 major-league homers in his career and is the only player in the Cardinals camp who hit 25 home runs or more last season at any level. Velazquez did that in two stops in Triple A, with the Royals and Pirates, and with another stint in the Mexican League.
Here is how Friday’s game broke down:
High: Michael McGreevy allowed one run in four innings with no walks and four strikeouts.
Low: Jordan Walker was 0-of-3, although he did drive in a run with a groundout, lowering his spring average to .118.
At the plate: The Cardinals continued to get good offensive production from their catchers. After Pedro Pages and Jimmy Crooks each drove in a run on Thursday, Ivan Herrera had two hits and an RBI and Yohel Pozo also had two hits, including a two-run double … Pozo is hitting .462 for the spring … Joshua Baez hit his first home run of the spring, a two-run shot in the seventh inning, when the Cardinals broke the game open with a four-run inning.
On the mound: McGreevy allowed four hits over his four innings, throwing 60 pitches. He has only issued one walk in his three starts this spring, covering 8 1/3 innings … The Cardinals got scoreless innings of relief from Matt Pushard, George Soriano, Packy Naughton and Chris Roycroft.
Worth noting: Herrera caught four innings, allowing one stolen base … One of the Cardinals players participating in the World Baseball Classic, Leonard Bernal had two hits in Panama’s 3-1 loss to Cuba in their first game of pool play on Friday.
Up next: The Cardinals will return to Jupiter on Saturday and host the Mets with Kyle Leahy on the mound.
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