JUPITER, Fla. — Weather: 77 degrees, overcast
Result: Cardinals 5, Astros 2
When Dylan Carlson missed his attempted bunt in the second inning on Saturday, his manager was happy with happened next.
“He set him up,” said Mike Shildt.
Carlson followed up that miss by swinging at the next pitch – and launching a long home run over the right-field wall, his first home run of the spring.
Carlson also singled to left and drew a walk in his perfect day at the plate, continuing to fine-tune his swing and timing as the Cardinals get set to begin the final week of spring training.
After a slow start to the spring with just four hits, all singles, in his 22 at-bats in his first eight games, Carlson has gotten hot lately. In his last four games, he is 4-of-9 with a triple and a home run – and also has drawn three walks.
“It’s more patience for other people than it is for me because I’m confident,” Shildt said. “We saw it three days ago that he kind of locked into it, drove a ball in the gap. He’s been right on some baseballs, his timing has been good, his balance has been great. He really got into one today and had a couple real quality at-bats.
“He showed he’s in a good spot.”
Here is how Saturday’s game broke down:
High: John Nogowski continued to build a strong case for earning a spot on the club with a two-run single, taking over the team lead with 10 RBIs.
Low: Matt Carpenter struck out as a pinch-hitter in his only at-bat – his 11th strikeout in 25 at bats this spring.
At the plate: Nogowski’s two-out single in the seventh inning broke a 2-2 tie and raised his spring average to .391. He drove in Carlson, who singled with one out, and Harrison Bader, who reached on a walk. Max Moroff also walked to load the bases before Nogowski’s hit … The Cardinals added an insurance run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Lane Thomas.
On the mound: John Gant worked five innings, giving up just one run on three hits while striking out five … Jordan Hicks threw his first complete inning of the spring. He needed just 13 pitches, 11 strikes, to record the 1-2-3 inning that include a fly out to left and two strikeouts … Jake Woodford and Kodi Whitley followed with scoreless innings to protect the lead.
Worth noting: The Cardinals made their second round of roster cuts after Saturday’s game, sending 10 players to the minor-league camp – pitchers Seth Elledge, Angel Rondon and Roel Ramirez; catchers Ivan Herrera, Ali Sanchez and Aaron Antonini; infielders Evan Mendoza and Delvin Perez; and outfielders Conner Capel and Scott Hurst. The moves leave 44 players in camp … Shildt said he thought Kwang Hyun Kim’s bullpen session was a positive outing on Saturday as he tries to work his way back from back tightness.
Up next: The Cardinals had their second day off of the spring on Sunday with no activity at the ballpark. Jack Flaherty will get the start on Monday against Miami.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains