JUPITER, Fla. — Any day facing Jacob deGrom or Max Scherzer is likely going to be a tough one for opposing hitters. But what the Cardinals had to do on Sunday seemed basically unfair.
After DeGrom struck out five in his three innings of work for the Mets, he handed the ball off to Scherzer, who took care of the final six innings, striking out seven, in the Mets’ 7-3 win in Port St. Lucie.
The Cardinals scored one run on four hits off deGrom and had two runs on three hits off Scherzer, one of which was a home run by Triple-A shortstop Anderson Tejeda.
Other news and notes from Sunday:
High: Harrison Bader had two of the hits off deGrom, one of which was an RBI single.
Low: Kramer Robertson got the start at second base in a late substitution and was 0-of-4, striking out three times.
At the plate: The Cardinals other hits off deGrom were a double by Dylan Carlson and single by Alec Burleson … Their two hits off Scherzer other than Tejada’s homer were an RBI single by Ali Sanchez and the second hit of the game for Burleson … The only other projected starter for the Cardinals during the regular season who started was Paul DeJong, who was 0-of-2.
On the mound: Dakota Hudson allowed four runs in three innings on just three hits, two of which were home runs. Francisco Lindor hit one of the homers, and he later homered for a second time in the game, this time off Matthew Liberatore … Jake Woodford also worked three innings, allowing one run on five hits.
Off the field: Nolan Gorman was scheduled to start at second base, but was scratched before the Cardinals left Jupiter because of lower back tightness… Infielder Cory Spangenberg, signed to a minor-league contract earlier this week, got in several at-bats in the Triple-A game against the Marlins … The Cardinals will play a B game on Monday, with Aaron Brooks, in the competition for the open spot in the rotation, scheduled to get the start in that game on the backfields.
Looking ahead: Adam Wainwright will get the start in Monday’s main game against the Astros, his third outing of the spring, but this time he is scheduled to work with Yadier Molina, set to make his spring debut.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
