The St. Louis Cardinals secured a 3-1 victory over the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Thursday in spring training action. Nelson Velázquez paced the offense, going 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, giving the coaching staff plenty to be encouraged about as the exhibition schedule continues. On the mound, Michael McGreevy turned in a solid outing, working 5.0 innings of 1-run ball with three strikeouts. The Cardinals finished with 8 hits on the day while holding the Mets to 5. The victory gives the Cardinals positive momentum heading into the final stretch of spring training. The coaching staff will look to build on the strong showing in the games ahead.
Key Performers
Nelson Velázquez was the standout at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a home run and two 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.
Alec Burleson added to the attack, going 1-for-2 with an RBI, Nolan Gorman provided support, going 2-for-2 with a double and a triple, and Blaze Jordan also contributed, going 1-for-1. The depth of production throughout the lineup was encouraging to see.
On the other side of the diamond, Jorge Polanco led the Mets offense with a 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI day. Jacob Reimer also contributed, going 1-for-1. Luis Robert Jr. added a 1-for-3 effort as well. Despite those contributions, the Cardinals pitching staff did enough to limit the damage and secure the victory.
On the Mound
Michael McGreevy earned the win after delivering a strong performance, working 5.0 innings while allowing 1 earned run on 4 hits with three 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 was excellent, combining for 3.3 scoreless innings while striking out seven. Spring training gives the coaching staff a chance to evaluate bullpen depth, and today was an encouraging showing from the relievers. Each reliever is auditioning for a roster spot, and innings like these factor into those decisions. Skylar Hales recorded the save to close out the game.
Among the relievers, George Soriano stood out with 1.0 innings of scoreless work, striking out three. His performance was one of the day's bright spots from the bullpen.
How It Happened
Mets got on the board first with a run in the first inning. The Cardinals responded with two runs in the first. The Cardinals pushed across a run in the second. The Cardinals out-hit Mets 8-5 on the day, with both teams playing clean defense. A crowd of 5,477 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
As the exhibition schedule nears its conclusion, the Cardinals can point to this game as a step in the right direction. The combination of solid pitching and timely hitting is exactly what the coaching staff hopes to see at this stage of the spring. The focus now shifts to maintaining this level of play with the regular season just around the corner.
