Cardinals Drop Astros, Cubs Blast A's

Cardinals Drop Astros

(Jupiter, FL) -- Joe Kelly tossed five-plus innings of two-run ball as the Cardinals topped the Astros 6-3 in Jupiter yesterday.  Kelly moved to 2-1 in the spring.  Matt Holliday and Matt Adams each hit a homer during a four-run third inning for St. Louis. Trevor Rosenthal picked up his second save. The Cards clash with the Mets today.

The Cardinals continue to cut down their roster in the spring. The Cards sent lefty reliever Sam Freeman and outfielder Joey Butler to Triple-A Memphis.  St. Louis shipped Cuban infielder Aledmys Diaz to Double-A Springfield. The Cardinals have one spot left in the bullpen for their seventh reliever. They are still deciding on Jorge Rondon, Keith Butler and Scott McGregor.

Lake Blasts Cubs Past A's

(Phoenix, AZ) -- Junior Lake homered three times and went back-to-back with Luis Valbuena twice as the Cubs upended the A's 10-6 Sunday. Mike Olt also homered for the Cubs, but also made two errors. Chicago will send Carlos Villanueva to the mound tonight at Cubs Park against the Padres.

The Cubs are sending top-prospect Javier Baez to minor league camp. The 21-year-old infielder hit .310 with five homers in 14 spring training games. He's on track to start the year with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, who open the season April 3rd.

Sox Tie With Rockies

(Scottsdale, AZ) -- The White Sox and Rockies played to a 5-all tie yesterday in Scottsdale. Chicago led 5-0 before Colorado rallied for single runs in the sixth and seventh and a three-spot in the eighth. Jose Quintana pitched five innings of one-hit ball in the start. The Sox play the Mariners today.

The White Sox are starting to shape their roster. Outfielder Jordan Danks, third baseman Matt Davidson and pitcher Jake Petricka were optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Pitcher Dylan Axelrod was assigned to minor league camp while Randall Boggs was placed on waivers.

Dodgers Hold Off D'backs, Sweep Opening Series

(Sydney, Australia) -- Yasiel Puig went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run as the Dodgers held on late for a 7-5 win over the Diamondbacks in Sydney, Australia to sweep the two-game Opening Series on Saturday.  Dee Gordon was 3-for-4 along with scoring twice and knocking in a run. Juan Uribe added three hits while Hyun-Jin Ryu tossed five innings of two-hit ball with a walk and five strikeouts for the win. Trevor Cahill was tagged for five runs in four frames for Arizona, suffering the loss.  Mark Trumbo went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI for the D'backs, who came up short in a four-run rally in the ninth. Martin Prado knocked in two for Arizona. The Dodgers won the opening game of the series earlier on Saturday, 3-1.

Sunday, March 23 Scoreboard

MLB Grapefruit League

St. Louis Cardinals 6, Houston Astros 3

Miami Marlins 8, Detroit Tigers 4

Philadelphia Phillies 5, Minnesota Twins 1

Atlanta Braves 4, New York Mets (ss) 1

Pittsburgh Pirates 7, Baltimore Orioles 7 (10 inn)

Tampa Bay Rays 9, Boston Red Sox 2

Toronto Blue Jays 3, New York Yankees 1

New York Mets (ss) 3, Washington Nationals 1

MLB Cactus League

Chicago Cubs 10, Oakland Athletics (ss) 6

Los Angeles Angels 5, Cleveland Indians 2

San Francisco Giants 13, Kansas City Royals 9

Milwaukee Brewers 9, Cincinnati Reds 1

Seattle Mariners 6, Oakland Athletics (ss) 4

San Diego Padres 11, Texas Rangers 7

Chicago White Sox 5, Colorado Rockies 5

Monday, March 24 Schedule (All Times Central)

MLB Grapefruit League

12:05 p.m. - Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles  (at Sarasota, FL)

12:05 p.m. - Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates  (at Bradenton, FL)

12:05 p.m. - Philadelphia Phillies vs. Toronto Blue Jays  (at Dunedin, FL)

12:05 p.m. - Tampa Bay Rays vs. Minnesota Twins  (at Fort Myers, FL)

12:05 p.m. - Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins  (at Jupiter, FL)

12:10 p.m. - St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Mets  (at Port St. Lucie, FL)

5:05 p.m. - Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves  (at Lake Buena Vista, FL)

MLB Cactus League

3:05 p.m. - Chicago White Sox vs. Seattle Mariners  (at Peoria, AZ)

3:05 p.m. - Cleveland Indians vs. Cincinnati Reds  (at Goodyear, AZ)

3:05 p.m. - Oakland Athletics vs. Texas Rangers  (at Surprise, AZ)

3:05 p.m. - San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Angels  (at Tempe, AZ)

3:10 p.m. - Kansas City Royals vs. Colorado Rockies  (at Scottsdale, AZ)

9:05 p.m. - San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs  (at Mesa, AZ)