JUPITER, Fla.—In the sixth exhibition game of the spring, left fielder Tyler O’Neill became the first Cardinals regular to hit a home run Sunday.
O’Neill, who had singled to center for the Cardinals’ first hit of the game in the sixth inning, cracked a three-run homer to right in the seventh, snapping a 2-2 tie as the Cardinals moved ahead of the Houston Astros 5-2. Austin Dean, who replaced O'Neill in left field, then doubled home three runs in the eighth as the Cardinals, hitless through five, rolled to an 8-5 win in a game made closer in the ninth when the Cardinals walked home two runs and another scored on a botched double play.