JUPITER, Fla. (AP) -- Before St. Louis' 9-5 victory
over Detroit on Wednesday, pitcher Adam Wainwright felt he was ready for
the start of the season.
After allowing four runs --
three earned -- in 4 2/3 innings, Wainwright welcomed an upcoming
outing against Cardinals minor leaguers as a final tune-up for the
regular season.
"I was not good, that's for sure,"
Wainwright said. "That's the good thing about spring training, I have
four days to go out and work on some stuff and get back and be ready for
my next turn."
Fighting an out-of-sync delivery that
caused him to leave the ball up much of the afternoon, Wainwright
allowed his first earned runs of the spring in the third. Jhonny Peralta
broke the scoreless tie with a single to right, driving in Austin
Jackson. Two batters later Brennan Boesch and Jackson scored on Andy
Dirks' single to center.
Coming off of ligament
replacement surgery that forced him to miss all of 2011, Wainwright had
pitched 16 1/3 innings without allowing an earned
run.
St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said he wasn't
surprised Wainwright finally plodded through a tough
outing.
"What wouldn't be expected is all the outings
we've seen up to this point -- that he competes and thinks his way
through things when he doesn't have his best stuff. That's pitching,"
Matheny said.
Wainwright attributed the poor outing
more to the extended lay-off following the surgery, adding that his
surgically repaired arm felt fine.
"I don't know if
it's good for anything other than it refocuses me," Wainwright said. "It
shows me that I've got more work to do."
Matheny
said Wainwright won't accompany the team when they travel to Springfield
for an exhibition against their Class AA club on Monday. Instead,
Wainwright will throw in Jupiter, either in a minor league spring
training game or in a simulation against live
batters.
Drew Smyly, Wainwright's mound counterpart
for Detroit, also lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs
against a St. Louis line-up that could be the one Matheny uses on
opening day.
In a three-way battle to be the Tigers'
fifth starting pitcher, Smyly, a Tigers' second-round selection in the
2010 draft, said afterward that the outing proved he was ready should he
be chosen to begin the season in the majors.
"When
you are facing that lineup three times in one game and you are able to
have success, that definitely boosts your confidence," Smyly
said.
The Cardinals scored their first run when
Carlos Beltran's liner ricocheted off Smyly's left foot into foul ground
on the first base side, allowing Wainwright to score. One batter later
Furcal scored on Matt Holliday's ground out to
short.
Tyler Greene supplied the final run off Smyly,
smacking his second home run of the spring to lead off the
fifth.
The Cardinals used a three-run seventh to pull
away for the victory, their eighth in a 10 game stretch that also
includes a tie.
NOTES: Matheny
said the club wants to ensure they are not pushing Allen Craig too
quickly as he tries to return from off-season knee surgery. While Craig
could still be on the opening day roster, Matheny made it sound as
though it's more likely Craig would start the season on the DL in an
effort to ensure he would be available for the final 150 games of the
year. ...Outfielder Skip Schumaker (oblique) threw with teammates prior
to the game, but has yet to hit the ball. Schumaker is almost assured of
starting the season on the DL. ...Reigning American League batting
champion Miguel Cabrera was cleared by doctors on Tuesday to resume
baseball activities but did not make the trip to Jupiter on Wednesday.
Detroit manager Jim Leyland said Cabrera could be in the line-up at
third base as early as Thursday. Cabrera took a ground ball to the face
on March 19, breaking a bone below his right eye.
