JUPITER, Fla. — Result: Cardinals 6, Astros 3
As Dakota Hudson watched Gold Glove winner Kolten Wong start a highlight-reel double play to end the first inning on Tuesday, he came to a very good realization.
“With this defense, if I ever walk a guy I’m so mad,” Hudson said. “They give me a chance on every ball. If I keep it on the ground I feel like it’s an out waiting to happen.”
That play set the tone for a solid start for Hudson, who allowed only two balls out of the infield during his four-inning stint, one of which was a home run. He recorded nine of his 12 outs on ground balls and issued his first walk of the spring in his final inning of work in the fourth.
Walks were a problem for Hudson last season, when despite winning 16 games as a rookie, he also issued the most walks in the National League.
“I got a little mechanically out of whack early in the year and I was trying to compete with I had,” Hudson said. “I felt like I kind of nit-picked my way through the first half.
“Going into this spring I was able to work on some things and iron out some things in the off-season and feel like I’m playing catch at a high level and am able to execute some pitches.
“Why not let the best defense play? That’s kind of where my mind’s at right now.”
Manager Mike Shildt thought the efficient 46-pitch outing was “an example of what he’s capable of. He’s having a nice spring.”
Here is how Tuesday’s game broke down:
High: Paul Goldschmidt hit his second homer of the spring, off Justin Verlander. He also had a single, his first hit this spring that was not a home run.
Low: Dexter Fowler had another 0-of-3 day and is now 1-of-18 for the spring.
At the plate: Max Schrock got the start at third base and had a double and a single, driving in one run, while reaching base on walks in his other two plate appearances … Paul DeJong had two more hits as he raised his spring average to .571 … Matt Wieters also hit his first home run while Dylan Carlson had a double and scored twice.
On the mound: Alex Reyes followed Hudson to the mound and allowed one run, but recorded four strikeouts in two innings … Matthew Liberatore, who had a rocky debut in his first appearance, recorded a 1-2-3 inning in his second appearance, getting a strikeout, a ground ball and a foul popup … Tyler Webb worked his third scoreless inning.
Off the field: Andrew Miller underwent tests on Tuesday to try to determine the reason why he could not get a feel for the baseball when he warmed up on Monday. It is not known when the Cardinals will get the results of those tests.
Up next: Jack Flaherty will get the start on Wednesday when the Cardinals play the Mets in Port St. Lucie. He is scheduled to work four innings, with Daniel Ponce de Leon also scheduled to pitch four innings.
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