Postcard from Cardinals spring training camp for Sunday, March 8, 2026
Result: Cardinals 2, Marlins 2 (tie)
Weather: Partly cloudy, 83 degrees
By Rob Rains
JUPITER, Fla. – Andre Pallante came to spring training this year with one simple goal in mind.
“I made a goal for myself to be very relaxed and be the guy who kind of goes with the flow and just be happy to be here and I think that helps bring out the best in me,” he said.
“Libby (Matthew Liberatore) said the same thing to me today. He said, ‘You looked like you were having fun.’ And honestly, I was having fun.”
Pallante allowed only one run over four innings against the Marlins. He has given up one run in each of his three starts, covering a combined nine innings, as he tries to erase the memory of a bad stretch of starts last season for the Cardinals.
From June 20 until the end of the season, he won only one of 16 starts. The team’s record in those games was 3-13.
“When you are out there and you are pitching poorly, I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself,” Pallante said. “I want to be a good major-league pitcher and I wasn’t. I was hurting the team a lot. I had to make it my goal to improve upon that.”
Before the game manager Oli Marmol said he has seen a noticeable improvement from Pallante this spring.
“I think we’re seeing the best version of him right now,” Marmol said. “It’s going to put him in the best position to have success.”
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
High: Pallante continued a strong run of starts from Cardinals’ pitchers, who have allowed a combined five earned runs in 20 1/3 innings in the last six games, an ERA of 2.11.
Low: The Cardinals were 0-of-5 with a runner in scoring position and are hitless in those situations in the last two games.
At the plate: Pedro Pages had an RBI double, one of five hits for the Cardinals … The lineup had only four players likely to be on the opening-day roster and Nathan Church, Jose Fermin, Pages and Yohel Pozo were a combined 2-of-10, with the other hit a single from Pozo.
On the mound: Pallante and five relievers combined on a three-hitter … Ryne Stanek needed only 10 pitches to retire the side in his one inning of work while JoJo Romero also worked a 1-2-3 inning, throwing only 12 pitches.
Worth noting: Ivan Herrera reported that his sore knee felt much improved on Sunday and the Cardinals are optimistic he will only be sidelined for a couple of days … Hunter Dobbins continues to make progress as he recovers from last year’s torn ACL. He is scheduled to throw five innings in a controlled setting later this week as he gets closer to his first appearance in a game … Pozo didn’t even wait for the ABS challenge call to show up on the scorebook confirming a strike three call before walking off the field after the sixth inning. “The whole ball was in the strike zone,” he said.
Up next: The Cardinals will play their only split-squad games of the spring on Monday, with half of the team hosting the Orioles in Jupiter while the other half plays the Astros in West Palm Beach. Liberatore will start the home game and Richard Fitts the road contest.
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