The Miami Marlins played the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-7 draw at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday in spring training action. Ryan Ignoffo led the offensive effort with a 2-for-2 with a home run and an RBI day, but neither club could land the decisive blow. On the mound, Ryan Gusto turned in a solid outing, working 4.0 innings of 2-run ball with three strikeouts. The Cardinals out-hit the Marlins 10-8 on the day. The draw is part of the exhibition experience, and the coaching staff will evaluate the individual performances as they continue assembling the Opening Day roster.
Key Performers
Ryan Ignoffo was the standout at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a home run and an RBI. His ability to drive the ball out of the park was the highlight of the afternoon. Performances like this give the Marlins confidence that the lineup is rounding into form.
Ian Lewis Jr. added to the attack, going 1-for-1 with a double and two RBI, Yiddi Cappe provided support, going 1-for-1 with two RBI, and Connor Norby also contributed, going 1-for-3 with an RBI. While there were individual bright spots, the lineup could not string hits together consistently.
On the other side of the diamond, Nolan Gorman led the Cardinals offense with a 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI day. Jeremy Rivas also contributed, going 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI. Tai Peete added a 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI effort as well. The Cardinals offense proved to be too much for the Marlins pitching staff to contain on this particular day.
On the Mound
Ryan Gusto got the start, delivering a strong performance, working 4.0 innings while allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits with three strikeouts. He threw 61 pitches in the outing. It was exactly the kind of outing the Marlins need from their pitching staff heading into the regular season.
The bullpen combined for 3.3 innings of work, allowing 2 earned runs while striking out five. Spring training gives the coaching staff a chance to evaluate bullpen depth, and today provided useful information about the current state of the bullpen. Each reliever is auditioning for a roster spot, and innings like these factor into those decisions.
Among the relievers, Lake Bachar stood out with 1.1 innings of 1-run work, striking out two. His performance was one of the day's bright spots from the bullpen.
How It Happened
The Marlins struck first, plating a run in the third inning. Cardinals responded with two runs in the fourth. Cardinals pushed across a run in the seventh. The Marlins struck back with five runs in the seventh. Cardinals answered with four runs in the eighth. The Marlins responded with a run in the eighth. Cardinals out-hit the Marlins 10-8, with 1 error committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 3,391 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
The Marlins will move on from the draw as spring training continues. Exhibition games can end in ties under spring training rules, and the coaching staff will focus on the individual performances rather than the outcome as they finalize their roster ahead of Opening Day. Every at-bat and every inning on the mound is valuable preparation for the regular season ahead.
