The St. Louis Cardinals handed the Washington Nationals a 6-3 loss at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Sunday in spring training play. Despite Joey Wiemer's 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI effort at the plate, the Nationals could not pull even when it mattered. Miles Mikolas worked 4.2 innings on the mound, allowing 4 earned runs on 5 hits. The Cardinals out-hit the Nationals 8-5 on the day. The loss is a minor bump as the Nationals continue fine-tuning ahead of Opening Day. The exhibition season is about preparation, and today provided the kind of reps the coaching staff needs to see.
Key Performers
Joey Wiemer was the top performer at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI. His power was on full display throughout the game. The Nationals will be hoping for more of the same as the spring continues.
CJ Abrams provided support, going 1-for-2, Keibert Ruiz also contributed, going 1-for-2, and Luis García Jr. chipped in, going 1-for-3. The Nationals showed flashes of offense but could not piece together the big inning they needed.
On the other side of the diamond, Nelson Velázquez led the Cardinals offense with a 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI day. Alec Burleson also contributed, going 2-for-2. Masyn Winn added a 1-for-3 effort as well. The Cardinals offense proved to be too much for the Nationals pitching staff to contain on this particular day.
On the Mound
Miles Mikolas took the loss after running into trouble, working 4.2 innings while allowing 4 earned runs on 5 hits with one strikeout. He threw 83 pitches in the outing. The coaching staff will review his performance as they continue mapping out the pitching plan for the regular season.
The bullpen was sharp, combining for 2.4 scoreless innings while striking out four. The Nationals continue to sort through their relief options as they build their Opening Day bullpen. Every inning pitched in the spring is an opportunity for pitchers to make their case for a spot on the roster when the games start counting. Matt Pushard recorded the save to close out the game.
Among the relievers, Brad Lord stood out with 2.0 innings of scoreless work, striking out one. It was an impressive showing that could factor into roster decisions.
How It Happened
Cardinals got on the board first with three runs in the first inning. The Nationals countered with three runs in the second. Cardinals struck back with a run in the second. Cardinals added a run in the fifth. Cardinals tacked on a run in the eighth. The Cardinals were able to score in four separate innings, keeping the pressure on throughout the contest. Cardinals out-hit the Nationals 8-5, with 5 errors committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 4,737 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
Despite the result, the Nationals will take the lessons learned from this game and move forward. Spring training is about preparation and evaluation, not wins and losses, and the coaching staff gained valuable information about the roster today. There is still time to make adjustments before the regular season begins, and games like this one are part of that process.
