JUPITER, Fla. — Of the three lefthanders were were slated to pitch in the first half of the Cardinals' game with the Minnesota Twins, the one who you might think would have the most problems was Brett Cecil. That 33-year-old has seen virtually nothing but trouble since he signed a four-year deal with them before the 2017 season, including missing all of last season with carpal tunnel syndrome.
But, after starter Genesis Cabrera had to leave the game in the second with a cracked finger nail on his pitching hand _ he threw only 12 strikes out of 28 pitches _ and after veteran southpaw Andrew Miller warmed up but didn't pitch at all, Cecil had his best game in a couple of years for the Cardinals.