JUPITER, Florida — Dylan Carlson and Paul Goldschmidt provided a reminder of the present for the Cardinals on Sunday while Jordan Walker offered a glimpse into their future.
Carlson hit a long three-run homer in the first inning, batting righthanded, and Goldschmidt added a solo homer in the third to send the Cardinals to a 6-4 spring training win over the Mets in Port St. Lucie.
The 19-year-old Walker, the Cardinals’ top draft pick in 2020, got into the first major-league spring training game of his career, coming into the game as the designated hitter in the sixth inning. After striking out in his first at-bat, delivered an RBI single in the eighth.
Walker, who played in Class A Palm Beach and Peoria last season, is expected to play at Double A Springfield to begin this season.
Other news and notes from Sunday’s game:
High: Carlson was 3-for-3, adding a pair of singles to his home run, although one of the hits, on a grounder to shortstop, could easily have been ruled an error.
Low: Non-roster shortstop Anderson Tejeda made one throwing error and another bad throw on what should have been a double play in the fifth inning but only resulted in a force out.
At the plate: Lars Nootbaar was the other offensive star for the Cardinals, hitting a triple in the eighth and scoring on Walker’s single, then adding an RBI single in the ninth. He also turned in a nice diving catch in right field after taking over for Carlson … Tyler O’Neill also had a pair of hits as the Cardinals regulars played their second game in a row and all but Paul DeJong got in three plate appearances … The Cardinals were 3-of-11 with runners in scoring position.
On the mound: Starter Miles Mikolas allowed one run in his two innings while striking out three … Drew VerHagen made his Cardinals debut and worked two perfect innings, also recording three strikeouts … Another veteran free agent signed at the beginning of camp, Nick Wittgren, worked a scoreless inning, pitching around the error by Tejeda, the second poor throw and a balk.
Off the field: Jack Flaherty returned to the team’s complex after a quick trip to Los Angeles, where he received an injection which hopefully will reduce the inflammation causing discomfort in his right shoulder. While beginning the rehab process Flaherty wants to correct some mechanical issues in his delivery which he believes might have been caused by trying to compensate for his oblique injury last season … Corey Dickerson was scheduled to get multiple at-bats in minor-league games on the back fields on Sunday. He likely will make his first game appearance later this week … Manager Oli Marmol will be happy to see Yadier Molina when he checks into camp on Monday. “He’s the type of guy that walks into that clubhouse and everybody gets better because he’s in it,” Marmol said. “It’s going to be extremely helpful for him to be in that clubhouse. He’s a big part of what we do.”
Looking ahead: Steven Matz will make his Cardinals debut in a night game on Monday against the Nationals in West Palm Beach.