JUPITER, Fla. • The highlight of the Cardinals’ 3-0 exhibition loss to Houston on Thursday probably was a bunt single.
First baseman Matt Carpenter, returning to action after being out a week with a lower back ailment, was going only to play defense and not swing the bat when his turn at-bat _ he was in the No. 9 spot _ came up in the third inning. He didn’t swing, but he did bunt for a hit on a 1-2 count against a shifted Houston infield.
That was one of just four hits that the Cardinals had.