Walker puts side work on his swing to test against Nationals

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- After working for three days in the hitting lab at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker was back on the field against the Nationals on Tuesday afternoon and he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a 1-0 loss at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.

Walker said the goal was to slow things down in the batter’s box and be ready for any pitch coming to the plate. In Tuesday’s contest, Walker was aggressive, striking on five pitches against right-hander Jake Irvin in the first inning. Two innings later, it took two pitches before Walker grounded out hard to second baseman José Tena to end the frame.

Walker’s best at-bat came in the sixth, when he fouled off the first pitch from left-hander PJ Poulin before he lined out to right fielder Joey Wiemer.

“He stayed on the ball really well. He let it get deep. There was no rush to it. ... It’s what I wanted to see,” manager Oliver Marmol said.

Walker arguably had his worst at-bat in the ninth, when he struck out on three pitches from right-hander Gus Varland.

It’s only the first game back since making adjustments and the Cardinals are going to remain patient with Walker and not judge him based on four at-bats. Despite the slow start this spring, Walker is expected to be the Opening Day right fielder against the Rays on March 26 at Busch Stadium. Walker is also expected to provide some thump in St. Louis’ lineup this season.

“He fouled some pitches off, but really put good swings on them [in the first inning],” Marmol said. “I like the tempo of what we saw today. He has to keep going.”

May day in West Palm

Right-hander Dustin May, who is expected to pitch the second game of the regular season against the Rays, threw like he was in midseason form against the Nationals. He allowed one run on four hits and one walk in five innings, while striking out three batters. The only blemish for May, whose spring ERA sits at 1.54, was a first-inning RBI double by Brady House.

“I thought May did a nice job. He had a big-mix [of pitches]. He overpowered guys,” Marmol said. “He felt really good coming out [of the game]. Super productive.”

May said this season is the best he’s felt since he was with the Dodgers in 2020. Since then, he has dealt with injuries and illness. Last year, for an example, May pitched under 200 pounds after recovering from an esophageal tear in early ‘24. Now, he is at his playing weight of 220 pounds and feels that he could get up to 225. May believes he has the weight to play a long season.

“I feel good,” May said. “I’m back to a normal spot -- body-wise, mentality-wise. I had a full healthy offseason. Being able to recover and get my body right coming into Spring Training is what I have been focusing on this offseason. Coming in and still feeling good at this moment, I feel like a lot of my work is starting to pay off.”