JUPITER, Fla. • One young star, Carlos Martinez, showed good form in his Cardinals spring debut Friday, reaching as high as 99 miles an hour as he worked two innings against Atlanta in his spring debut, allowing one run and fanning two.
But a star in the making, 19-year-old outfielder Magneuris Sierra was the player of the day. Sierra excelled both offensively and defensively as the Cardinals beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3.
Sierra, brought over from the minor-league complex as center fielder Randal Grichuk was off, lined out in his first at-bat, threw out a runner at third in the fourth with a strong, on-the-fly throw and beat out a perfectly placed bunt to lead off the fifth.