JUPITER, Fla. — Weather: 84 degrees, partly cloudy
Result: Cardinals 3, Mets 3 (tie)
There were a couple of pleasant developments for the Cardinals on Monday before they left Florida to head into the regular season.
First, Nolan Arenado hit his first home run of the spring – after telling bench coach Ollie Marmol that he was going to do it.
“He said he was going to hit a homer and take it the house and get ready for the season,” said manager Mike Shildt. “I wondered if he was going to touch home plate and keep on going down the line.
“It (the pitch) was down on the plate and he dropped the head on it and it just jumped … Ollie told me he came up to him before the game and said he was going to hit a homer and shut it down. When he rounded first he looked back and pointed at him. it was pretty cool.”
Second, Matt Carpenter did not have to wait until the start of the season to get another hit – he delivered a pinch-hit RBI single in the third inning, batting for Adam Wainwright – matching his total for his first 36 at-bats of the spring.
“That was big for a couple of reasons, primarily for Carp, he finally hit it where they weren’t,” Shildt said. “It found some green and drove in a run off the bench. It was also big because Waino was giving me a lot of grief about hitting for him. He said ‘he’d better get a hit’, so it made it a little more tolerable for Waino.”
Here is how Monday’s game broke down:
High: After finding out on Sunday that he had made the opening day roster, Edmundo Sosa got two hits, including a game-tying home run with two outs in the ninth.
Low: Wainwright allowed two runs in the first inning, retiring only two of the first six hitters he faced before being pulled from the game, then re-entering the game in the second.
At the plate: The Cardinals used what is expected to be their opening day lineup but most of the starters left after just two at-bats. Tommy Edman had one hit, and finished the spring with a .378 average, edging out Tyler O’Neill (.356) for the highest average among the team’s regulars … Sosa had been just 3-of-23 in the spring prior to his two-hit game and his first home run.
On the mound: After coming back in the game Wainwright retired the Mets in order in the second and third innings … Carlos Martinez allowed only one baserunner, on a walk, in his three innings … Andrew Miller and Giovanny Gallegos each worked a scoreless inning, with the other Mets run coming against Ryan Helsley.
Worth noting: The Cardinals announce the five players who will be on the taxi squad for the first trip of the season to Cincinnati and Miami – pitchers Seth Elledge and Kodi Whitley; catcher Ali Sanchez, infielder Jose Rondon and outfielder Lane Thomas … The Cardinals finished their 24-game schedule with an 8-10 record and six ties.
Up next: The Cardinals open the regular season on Thursday against the Reds.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains