PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — For Carlos Martinez, it was “corralling” his stuff, as Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said before Tuesday’s exhibition game. But, for Justin Williams, it was about letting it rip. Both were successful in their own way in a 5-3 loss to the New York Mets.
The first time Martinez pitched in a Grapefruit League game this year, he managed to get three outs from 10 hitters he faced and didn’t finish either the first or second innings. On Tuesday here, he blanked the Mets on two hits and two walks for three innings, fanning three, but the Cardinals’ second-line relief in Angel Rondon and Seth Elledge let a three-run lead get away in a five-run New York seventh, helped along by a throwing error from third baseman Nolan Gorman.