Cards suffer blow of exhibition loss to Nats
Neither the St. Louis Cardinals or their opponent the Washington Nationals, are in the hunt for the Grapefruit League pennant anymore, but that’s certainly not a priority. Nevertheless, with the season only a mere 5 days away, both teams are trying to play the best ball they can.
But when the Cardinals and Nationals squared off at Roger Dean Stadium on Wednesday, it didn’t seem like either team succeeded in played solid, fundamental baseball. Eight errors and 9 walks were committed by the 43 different players who participated in the game for the two teams, making for a less than impressive show of professional baseball.
Then again, St. Louis was playing Washington. Excuses or no excuses, the Cardinals were left to suffer the blow of a spring training exhibition loss to the Nationals on Wednesday by a final score of 9-6.
The Cardinals’ lacking quality of play was particularly noticeable in the field of defense. The team made 4 errors, leading to two unearned runs, the majority of the difference between the score after 9 innings of play.
Adam Wainwright started for St. Louis and was roughed up a bit, surrendering 5 runs over 5 innings. It was the hurlers succeeding him though that were the unfortunate recipients of supportive defense. Dennys Reyes pitched the first two-thirds of the 6th and was charged for an unearned run, while Pete Parise pitched completed the 6th and 7th with an earned and unearned run charged to his name.
Matt Holliday made one of the Cardinals’ errors, but also had the team’s only extra base hit of the day. Total, St. Louis picked up 10 hits, 5 fewer than the Nationals. Holliday also scored a couple runs, drove one home and walked.
But of course, the good news is the game was only an exhibition, and the quility of play will be revamped by the start of the regular season, which for St. Louis begins on April 5th. The Cardinals, who were winners of 9 of their previous 10 games coming into the contest, are guaranteed a winning spring record with only 1 Grapefruit League game to play. That event will happen on Thursday when the 14-12 Cardinals take on the 13-14 Florida Marlins.
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