JUPITER, Fla. -- They don’t fight crime for a living. Nor do they go around robbing from the rich to give to the poor, but Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina are nonetheless the most prolific pitcher/catcher duo ever to don a Cardinals uniform. 

The two have been battery mates for 242 career games, most in Cardinals history, surpassing Tim McCarver and Bob Gibson (198 games). The Wainwright/Molina tandem is the most since Tom Glavine, and Javy Lopez combined for 248 games together for the Braves from 1994-2002.

The duo was reunited on Saturday in the Cardinals’ 9-3 loss to the Astros. For Wainwright, it was his third start this spring, a nice indicator that the injuries which plagued him a year ago are a thing of the past.

“It was like a pair of old shoes out there wasn’t it?” Wainwright said. “Stepped right back into it, I didn’t feel like he missed a beat. Calling pitches without putting signs down, it was really fun. He’s been my catcher since (2004). We had verbals out there today, signs were given with hand gestures and nods and shoulder movements. It was crazy stuff.”

Wainwright went four innings of two-hit, shutout ball. He struck out two and walked one. His fastball consistently hit 88 miles per hour and he got Astros designated hitter Aledmys Diaz to ground out on a 69 mph breaking ball. He continues to work on his splitter.

“I probably threw about 10 of them,” Wainwright said. “I got an out, got a couple swings and misses. Got foul offs. If I missed, I missed down with good action. So I think it’s a pitch I’m going to use a lot.”

Molina made his first start this spring behind home plate, a day after his spring debut as the Cardinals’ DH. He’s been on a slowed program since undergoing left knee surgery in December. Molina played five innings and went 0-for-2 at the plate with a pair of flyouts.

Wainwright made only eight starts in an injury-shortened 2018 season that included three stints on the injured list with left hamstring and right elbow issues. Four of those starts came in September. Wainwright ranks fifth on the Cardinals all-time win list with 148 and his 1,623 strikeouts is surpassed only by Bob Gibson (3,117).