Martínez struggles, Cardinals’ bats blanked in 14-0 loss to Astros

After a day where the Cardinals‘ bats exploded, they were held in check and the pitching staff struggled to contain the Astros on Thursday night.

The Cardinals dropped their first game of the spring to the Astros by a final of 14-0.

Carlos Martínez’s spring debut was one to forget, as the righty allowed six runs on four hits and three walks. He also was charged with a throwing error on a pick-off attempt. He was pulled with two outs in the first inning and replaced with Austin Warner, who finished the inning. Martínez then returned to pitch the second inning to conclude his outing.

Alex Reyes offered one of the lone bright moments for the Cardinals. The 26-year-old righty fired two perfect frames while striking out three Astros in his second appearance this spring.

The Cardinals didn’t crack the hit column until the fourth inning when Yadier Molina hit a leadoff double.  Justin Williams later walked, but the pair were both left stranded to end the inning.

In the sixth, the Astros tagged Genesis Cabrera for two runs and Garrett Williams for another three, to increase their lead to 11-0.

The Astros pushed another three runs across the board in the eighth against Giovanny Gallegos.

Offensively, the Cardinals tallied just three hits and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

The Cardinals take on the Washington Nationals at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on Friday at 5:05 pm.