Major League Baseball

Leake, Piscotty help Cardinals beat Yankees 9-1

Published Mar. 31, 2016 6:24 p.m. ET

foxsports

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Mike Leake went four shutout innings, Stephen Piscotty homered twice and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees 9-1 on Thursday.

Leake gave up two hits and struck out five. He got inning-ending double plays from Alex Rodriguez and Chase Headley.

Leake, signed to an $80 million, five-year free-agent contract in December, has 24 strikeouts and two walks in 20 innings overall. He threw 33 of 39 pitches for strikes.

Piscotty hit a second-inning solo shot, and added his second homer this spring one pitch after Brandon Moss had a solo drive during the fourth off Michael Pineda.

Jeremy Hazelbaker added a three-run homer in the fifth. Tommy Pham had a two-run shot in the seventh.

Pineda gave up six runs and seven hits over five innings. He had given up just one run in nine earlier spring training innings.