Cardinals-Redbirds washed out by rain

Memphis, Tenn. -- On the first day that the St. Louis Cardinals officially owned the Memphis Redbirds, Mother Nature stepped in with heavy rains that canceled the Cards' spring training finale against their Triple-A club at AutoZone Park on Friday night.

The teams went through batting practice, but an hour before the schedeuled 6:35 p.m. CT start, the grounds crew put the tarp down on the field. Heavy rain started shortly after and did not let up until the decision was made to call the game at 7:40.

Fans were told they could exchange their tickets for a St. Louis Cardinals game during the year and Redbirds tickets (except the July 4 game) equal to the price of their tickets or package. Fans can visit memphisredbirds.com for refund and exchange details.

The Cardinals, who arrived here from Florida this afternoon, left shortly after the game was called for Cincinnati, where they open Monday against the Reds.