Last season, right fielder Stephen Piscotty was manager Mike Matheny‘s primary option to hit fourth in the St. Louis Cardinals lineup. He began Grapefruit League games last month in that spot, but spring struggles pushed him further down in the order.
On Opening Day, Matheny turned to veteran third baseman Jhonny Peralta to hit cleanup. He struck out in his first three at-bats before lofting a single to left field in his final plate appearance of the night. Two of his strikeouts came with a runner in scoring position.
Peralta was again in the cleanup spot for the second game of the series.