Redbirds Get First Taste of Spring Training

Spring Training finally arrived for the Redbirds today, and it definitely showed some room for improvement. The Redbirds fell to New Orleans 10-4, putting together six hits and stranding five runners in their Spring Training debut.

Brett Wallace, the Cardinals first pick in the 2008 draft, struggled at the plate, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Outfielder Brian Barton drove in one run in three at-bats in his first performance after getting re-assigned to minor league camp on Monday.

Despite the relative lack of offensive bright spots for the Redbirds, there were some notable performances. The silver lining came in the form of infielder Jarrett Hoffpauir, who went 1-for-3 with a two-RBI double, while infielder Mark Hamilton scored two runs and recorded a 2-for-4 performance with a double.

On the mound, Matt Scherer, who is listed on the Cardinals 40-man roster, gave up two runs on three hits in one inning of work. Justin Fiske, Hyang-Nam Choi and Shaun Garceau each saw two innings of action, giving up a collective four runs on six hits. As a team, the Redbirds allowed a total of 15 hits, with three walks and four strikeouts.

The Redbirds and New Orleans will have plenty of time to get to know each other this spring, the byproduct of sharing a facility with the Marlins, matching up four more times before the team comes back to Memphis. In the immediate future, the Redbirds match up against New York Mets affiliate Buffalo on Friday, before facing Cardinals Double-A affiliate, Springfield, on Saturday.