Wisdom hits third spring homer in win
JUPITER, Fla. -- Behind three scoreless innings from starter Adam Wainwright and a two-hit day by Jhonny Peralta, the Cardinals earned their eighth Grapefruit League victory with a 9-2 win over the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium on Tuesday.
Wainwright scattered three hits and struck out two while throwing 44 pitches (28 strikes) in his second spring start. He was staked to an early lead behind run-scoring hits from Greg Garcia and Peralta.
"Looked good," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Wainwright. "Once again, the fastball looks like it's coming out well. I still see some extension, and I know that has to feel good right now."
Those came at the expense of Marlins starter Tom Koehler, who was pulled after 2 2/3 innings. Koehler, who threw 29 of his 50 pitches for strikes, surrendered five hits and walked two.
"Probably not the results he wanted but still, we're all just moving towards [the regular season]," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Koehler's performance. "His pitch count is getting built up. He was at 50 today, so I know we're moving in the right direction."
Behind Koehler, Hunter Cervenka and Junichi Tazawa posted scoreless relief appearances.
After tallying one extra-base hit in his first 11 spring at-bats, Peralta drove home runs with a double and a triple on Tuesday. Starters William Fowler and Garcia also finished with multi-hit games.
Patrick Wisdom added a run with a solo homer in the seventh inning, his third of the spring.
"It's nice to see because I know he's had a couple springs in here where he hasn't quite been as sharp as he wanted to be," Matheny said. "We've had him in camp quite a few years now. And I remember early on when we saw him, we thought, 'This guy has a real shot.' We haven't backed off that, but there have been injuries in the way and he's had things that haven't quite allowed him to get to that next level.
J.T. Riddle drove a triple off the wall, but was tagged out at the plate after Dee Gordon attempted to bring him home with a sacrifice bunt.
Miguel Rojas left the game in the 3rd inning after sustaining a head contusion.
The Marlins got on the board in the seventh inning when Moises Sierra drove in a pair of runs with a double to right.
Marlins Up Next: The Marlins have Wednesday off, their first of three such days this spring. They are back in action at 1:10 p.m. ET Thursday against the Nationals. Left-hander Dillon Peters makes his first start this spring for the Marlins. The game can be heard via an exclusive webcast on marlins.com.
Cardinals Up Next:Michael Wacha will make his third Grapefruit League start on Wednesday, when the Cardinals host the Nationals in a 12:05 p.m. CT game at Roger Dean Stadium (MLB.TV). Stephen Strasburg will draw the start for Washington. Cardinals reliever Kevin Siegrist is slated to make his spring debut in the game.
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