JUPITER, Fla. — Weather: 79 degrees, partly cloudy
Result: Cardinals 4, Nationals 2
Paul DeJong was one of the best players in Florida last spring, leading everybody in the state with five homers to go along with 11 RBIs and a .467 average when spring training was shut down after 12 games.
It’s been a different story this spring.
DeJong has had a difficult time so far in camp – at least when it comes to the measurable results – and Monday was no exception. He struck out twice against Max Scherzer and then grounded into a force out that ended his day.
The 0-of-3 day left DeJong with just two hits in 23 at-bats in eight games, an .087 average. He hasn’t had a hit in his last five games, has struck out in six of his last 13 at-bats and has not driven in a run all spring.
DeJong also has drawn only one walk.
“Spring training, not a high number of at-bats, seeing the ball really well, takes are good, just finishing up his timing with his swing,” said manager Mike Shildt. “I have a lot of confidence Paul is going to be more than ready to go when the season goes and I’ve got zero concerns about Paul DeJong offensively.
“He’s going to be just fine, his swing is going to be right there. He’s getting very close, just a matter of a few more at-bats, seeing some pitching, but Paul’s going to be in great shape.”
Shildt said he and DeJong actually had talked about the difference between last year and this spring – at least in the results – before Monday’s game.
“I don’t think anybody remembers any spring training batting championships,” Shildt said. “We were kind of laughing about it, good-naturedly. It’s good to have a nice spring. Everybody wants success all the time. But the good news for Paul ultimately is he knows how to hit. He’s been a real productive hitter in the big leagues for years, an All-Star two years ago. Paul is going to be just fine. He will be there when the bell rings April 1.”
Here is how Monday’s game broke down:
High: The Cardinals’ three-run rally in the fifth featured an RBI triple by Dylan Carlson, a pinch-hit double by Nolan Gorman that drove in Carlson and an RBI single from Nolan Arenado that scored Gorman.
Low: Matt Carpenter was 0-of-3 and is now 1-of-20 with eight strikeouts this spring.
At the plate: The Cardinals had to face Max Scherzer for the third time in 11 days and had just two hits in his four innings of work, a double by Tyler O’Neill and a single by Arenado, and struck out seven times. “It’s good to face Max in the spring,” Arenado said. “He’s obviously not going to help you feel better, but he’s going to help you get ready a lot quicker because when you are facing one of the greats they get you ready a little bit quicker.” … O’Neill also had a single, raising his spring average to .500 … Carlson’s triple was his first extra-base hit of the spring.
On the mound: John Gant strengthened his hold on a spot in the rotation to open the season, allowing four hits (one a first-inning two-run homer by Ryan Zimmerman) in 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three … Andres Miller, Tyler Webb, Genesis Cabrera and Alex Reyes each threw a scoreless inning of relief and combined allowed only one hit in their four innings, a single off Cabrera, while not walking a batter and recording five strikeouts.
Worth noting: Kwang Hyun Kim’s back tightness has responded to treatment and he started playing catch on Monday, from 90 feet, and hopes to stretch out to 120 feet on Tuesday, Shildt said. How quickly he can progress from there will determine if he can begin the season in the rotation. “He should be back to where he was (before the setback) fairly soon but is there going to be enough time for him to get the work in he needs to get built up to start the season? Time will tell,” Shildt said. “In the best-case scenario it will be close.” … Dakota Hudson, expected to miss all of this season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, also played catch for the first time since his surgery … The Cardinals have not committed an error in their last five games … Tickets for the Cardinals 13 home games in April will go on sale starting on Tuesday for fans buying tickets to three or more games. Single game tickets will go on sale on Wednesday. All tickets will be sold through the team’s website, cardinals.com, or by phone. Tickets will be sold in pods of up to four tickets. The ticket sales will begin at 11 a.m. CDT.
Up next: The Cardinals will have a camp day on Tuesday with Jack Flaherty and Johan Oviedo among the pitchers scheduled to work in a 5-inning simulated game. They will play the Astros on Wednesday night in West Palm Beach.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains