The St. Louis Cardinals played the Miami Marlins to a 7-7 draw at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday in spring training action. Nolan Gorman led the offensive effort with a 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI day, but neither club could land the decisive blow. On the mound, Andre Pallante turned in a solid outing, working 5.0 innings of 1-run ball with four strikeouts. The Cardinals finished with 10 hits on the day while holding the Marlins to 8. The draw is part of the exhibition experience, and the coaching staff will evaluate the individual performances as they continue assembling the Opening Day roster.
Key Performers
Nolan Gorman was the standout at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI. His ability to drive the ball out of the park was the highlight of the afternoon. Performances like this give the Cardinals confidence that the lineup is rounding into form.
Jeremy Rivas added to the attack, going 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI, Tai Peete provided support, going 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and Nathan Church also contributed, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. While there were individual bright spots, the lineup could not string hits together consistently.
On the other side of the diamond, Ryan Ignoffo led the Marlins offense with a 2-for-2 with a home run and an RBI day. Ian Lewis Jr. also contributed, going 1-for-1 with a double and two RBI. Yiddi Cappe added a 1-for-1 with two RBI effort as well. The Marlins offense proved to be too much for the Cardinals pitching staff to contain on this particular day.
On the Mound
Andre Pallante got the start, delivering a strong performance, working 5.0 innings while allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits with four strikeouts. He threw 72 pitches in the outing. It was exactly the kind of outing the Cardinals need from their pitching staff heading into the regular season.
The bullpen combined for 2.3 innings of work, allowing 6 earned runs while striking out four. Spring training gives the coaching staff a chance to evaluate bullpen depth, and today provided useful information about the current state of the bullpen. Each reliever is auditioning for a roster spot, and innings like these factor into those decisions.
Among the relievers, Packy Naughton stood out with 1.0 innings of 1-run work, striking out two. His performance was one of the day's bright spots from the bullpen.
How It Happened
Marlins got on the board first with a run in the third inning. The Cardinals responded with two runs in the fourth. The Cardinals pushed across a run in the seventh. Marlins struck back with five runs in the seventh. The Cardinals answered with four runs in the eighth. Marlins responded with a run in the eighth. The Cardinals out-hit Marlins 10-8 on the day, with 1 error committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 3,391 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
The Cardinals will move on from the draw as spring training continues. Exhibition games can end in ties under spring training rules, and the coaching staff will focus on the individual performances rather than the outcome as they finalize their roster ahead of Opening Day. Every at-bat and every inning on the mound is valuable preparation for the regular season ahead.
