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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A rookie reporter crashed this spring training’s final Grapefruit League pregame scrum of Cardinals manager Oli Marmol.

Marmol on Sunday morning had been reflecting on the conclusion of this Florida portion of preparation as the scene prepared to shift to Arizona for two exhibition games against the Cubs.

The Cardinals are down to those two tuneups before a chaotic opening day and series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Catcher Willson Contreras, seeing Marmol and a few reporters, joined the huddle and held up the barrel of his bat, pretending it was a microphone.

The Cardinals’ vibes are good. Much better than those of the bulk of their fans, it seems. Soon enough, we see if the team and its supporters will once again find the same page. Winning cures all.

“We really like where we’re at as a club,” Marmol said. “We set out to do several things in this camp, and I feel like we were able to accomplish all of them. The team, the overall feel, the confidence of the group and the camaraderie in the clubhouse, it’s where we need it to be. The attention to detail all camp has been really good. The focus and the emphasis on the fundamentals, defensively and base runnning have been really good. So as a staff, we are satisfied with this camp.”

As the Cardinals head west, let’s hand out some spring training superlatives:

Biggest story: injuries, unfortunately. The top rotation addition (Sonny Gray, hamstring); one of the top bullpen additions (Keynan Middleton, forearm); and two of the projected starting outfielders (Lars Nootbaar, ribs, and Tommy Edman, wrist) are starting the season on the injured list. The Cardinals will start a brutal first month schedule-wise without their best roster. Buckle up.

Biggest concern: It’s a familiar one. The rotation. Cardinals starters produced a Grapefruit League rotation ERA of 5.82. Opponents averaged .295 against them. The Cardinals hope to have Gray back against the Phillies for a home game on April 9. Miles Mikolas, Zack Thompson, Lance Lynn, Steven Matz and Kyle Gibson have to score quality starts until then and after, or the offseason plan falls apart.

Biggest bummer: Alas, pitcher Jordan Montgomery never showed up. He’s still a free agent. The Cardinals monitored his market but think the ask from agent Scott Boras is way too high. It doesn’t seem to be coming down, and if it does, there are fair questions about how ready Montgomery will be after such a strange offseason. The Cardinals should have added two starters better than Mikolas this offseason. They added one in Gray, and now he’s injured but hopefully not for long. More outside help does not appear to be on the way.

Best quote: “We’re not exactly a low-payroll team, but you’ve got the Dodgers playing checkbook baseball. And we are going to go out there and be the hardest-working group of Midwestern farmers that we can be out there. If there’s a series you want to win early, any time of the year, it’s great to go out there and stick it to the Dodgers.”

— Cardinals opening-day starter Mikolas

Biggest quote: “Obviously, we want to get back to where we were competitive every year and do what we have to do to have a shot of not only getting in the playoffs but going deep in the playoffs.”

— Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. in the Post-Dispatch Cardinals season preview

That’s the first sign in a while of DeWitt and president of baseball operations John Mozeiak’s front office not sharing almost identical talking points. Interesting.

Best play: Matt Carpenter conquered a tarp. Paul Goldschmidt crashed into a dugout. Nolan Arenado bare-handed a bunt. Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson looked slimmer and smoother at second base and corner outfield, respectively.

But nothing beat out Victor Scott II climbing the wall in West Palm Beach to rob a CJ Abrams homer. Scott’s impressive push for the opening day roster fell short for a few reasons, some out of his control. He can use some time in Class AAA to have better answers for the high areas of the strike zones pitchers started targeting against him late in camp. But his speed and his defense are elite, and his bat is getting better fast.

“This kid is going to help us at some point,” Marmol said. “This year. I’ll tell you that. He will.”

Best bullpen surprise: long, lanky and effective Riley O’Brien, and Andre Pallante’s newfound swagger on the mound.

Most resiliency shown: on the position side, Dylan Carlson. He took and ran with the opportunity created by injuries to Edman and Nootbaar. Then he answered the bell when Scott challenged. He hit a team-high three homers here and slugged .521. He’s playing somewhat angry, and that’s good. On the pitching side, Zack Thompson. He didn’t flinch when he was assumed to be out of the rotation, and he outperformed his friend Matthew Liberatore once again to earn the fifth starter spot until Gray’s return forces a conversation.

Loudest camp: Don’t overlook who was left in the big league clubhouse even after hotshot prospect Scott was sent down. That would be utility infielder Thomas Saggese, who has proven to the big league staff that his bat is big league ready. He seems to be one injury away from being called up to the majors.

Quietest camp, bad edition: Paul Goldschmidt left here averaging .116 with a .220 on-base percentage and a .233 slugging percentage. No Cardinal had more Grapefruit League strikeouts than his 19. If shortstop Masyn Winn, who had a cold camp (.579 OPS), struggles at the plate, it’s not a huge problem. If 36-year-old Goldschmidt (.453 Grapefruit League OPS) does, it’s a different story. He could be one swing away from breaking out, but he’s never had a spring so cold.

Quietest camp, good edition: After a chaotic Cardinals debut season, all is calm and well for catcher Contreras. Expect good things from him. Honorable mention: Gorman’s unbothered back.

Biggest pleasant surprise: Some fumed when the Cardinals brought back Carpenter as last man on the bench and veteran clubhouse presence. Well, he’s leading as expected and slashed .348/.429/.652 in Florida. No, it doesn’t have to mean Carpenter starts at designated hitter on opening day. Alec Burleson, who also had a great spring, exists.

Biggest conversation starter: Marmol’s two-year contract extension after a 91-loss 2023 season generated many opinions. Said the manager: “I understand the noise outside. Probably somewhat unpopular in certain circles. But the reality is, I’m dedicated to getting us to where we need to get to. We are taking really good strides in that direction.”

Best day: easy. Brendan Donovan and his wife, Aly, welcomed their baby girl, Vivian, into the world on March 15. Add diaper-changing to Donovan’s versatility.

Worst dressed: Surprisingly, not the sportswriters! Every player is the answer, thanks to Nike and Fanatics teaming up to ruin MLB uniforms. You saw how bad they looked on TV. Trust me when I tell you they are worse in person.

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With the Cardinals sliding back into our lives with the season opener this week, let’s have some fun and rank the 25 greatest slides in Cardinals history. These slides were chosen based on a combination of importance, history made, unique elements to the slide and actual intensity and flair provided by the slider.

We’re only ranking actual slides while running on the base paths, so we won’t include Chris Carpenter’s head-first defensive dive into first base in the 2011 World Series. Meanwhile, a Cardinals pitcher will make the list (Dizzy Dean), even though he lives in slide infamy for, as a broadcaster later in life, popularizing the word “slud.”

And these slides on the list will only be made by Cardinals themselves. See, you could actually make a case that the most-significant slide in Cardinals history was in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series ... when a sliding Babe Ruth was thrown out trying to steal second with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

OK, here we go!

1. The greatest hit in Cardinals history fittingly provided the greatest slide. In the 2011 World Series, the Cardinals trailed Texas 7-5 in Game 6 at Busch Stadium. The Rangers were one strike away from their first title. There were two outs, two on and two strikes on ������Ƶan David Freese, who drove in two with his miraculous triple. And as he slid heroically head first into third base, he instantly and triumphantly popped up onto his knees (one upon the bag) and stared like a stoic statue. It would’ve been the coolest slide if it was in a June game against Pittsburgh, let alone after a season-saving World Series triple.

2. This slide actually did become a statue. Enos “Country” Slaughter’s “Mad Dash” is immortalized outside Busch Stadium. In Game 7 of the 1946 World Series, Slaughter was on first in the bottom of the eighth. Tie game. Two outs. With Slaughter running on the pitch, Harry Walker swatted a line drive to left-center. And Slaughter just kept running. He daringly rounded third and rumbled home, sliding for the go-ahead run.

3. Entering 1974, the most bases Lou Brock ever stole was 74. But National League officials, hoping to grow excitement in the game (and in the year of Hank Aaron’s 715th homer), suggested Brock go for the record. Could be captivating. But Brock was 35. And the record was ... 104! Yet the great Cardinal pulled it off. On Sept. 10, 1974, he chugged toward second, sliding hard into the base for his 105th burglary. He finished with 118.

4. Opposing fans were so mad about a slide in 1934 that they threw fruit at the Cardinal. In Game 7 of the 1934 World Series, the Cards took a 9-0 lead as Joe “Ducky” Medwick slid viciously into third base, feet first. As dust flew, a dust-up occurred between “Ducky” and the Detroit third baseman, Marv Owen. When Medwick went out to left field the next inning, fans pelted him with fruit and insults. It got so wild, the commissioner of baseball actually removed Medwick from the game. ������Ƶ won 11-0.

5. Who? Did what? Cardinals backup catcher Glenn Brummer, sliding head first, stole home in the 12th inning to win a 1982 game — with two outs. Mike Shannon’s radio call from August of that World Series season became part of local lore: “BRUMMER’S STEALING HOME! He is SAAAAFE! ... You wouldn’t believe it! Glenn Brummer!”

6. Does this count as a slide? Yeah. Let’s count it. In 1991, rookie Ray Lankford — who played football at Modesto Junior College — was on second base in the bottom of the 10th. A teammate was on first. With one out, the Phillies’ first baseman fielded a grounder and threw to second. Lankford rounded third and kept going. An infielder’s throw came home in time — caught by catcher Darren Daulton — but Lankford leveled him like a linebacker would. Daulton fell back hard and dropped the ball. The Cards won the game.

7. He slid twice on the play, but the second slide, officially, never happened. Allen Craig was on second, Yadier Molina on third. Game 3 of the 2013 World Series. Bottom of the ninth, tie game. On a grounder to second, “Yadi” was thrown out at home. But Craig scurried and slid safely into third. The ball got away, and third baseman Will Middlebrooks’ feet got tangled with Craig’s. A stumbling Craig regained his footing, slid into home and was tagged by the catcher. But — Middlebrooks was called for obstruction, so Craig officially was granted home ... thus earning the game-winning run. And 3,802 days later, it’s the last World Series game won by ������Ƶ.

8. They called him “The Wild Horse of the Osage.” Pepper Martin stole two bases in Game 2 of the 1931 World Series, but his triumphant slide was that of the hook variety on a squeeze play. With ������Ƶ up 1-0 in the seventh, Martin hustled home and eluded Mickey Cochrane’s reaching tag in a pivotal play. The Cards went on to win the game and the title.

9. Did you know that in the sixth inning of Game 7 in the 1982 World Series, the Cardinals were losing? By two runs, too? 

But the Cards’ Keith Hernandez — with his team down, 3-1 — singled off his former high school teammate Bob McClure of Milwaukee. Ozzie Smith scored! Lonnie Smith scored! And the mustached Mike Ramsey’s slide into third — just beating the tag — was more of a belly-flop. His puffy, curly hair went flying every which way.

Covered in caked dirt, Ramsey then scored the go-ahead run on a George Hendrick hit. ������Ƶ went on to win, 6-3, as Jack Buck announced on KMOX: "That's a winner! That's a winner! A World Series winner for the Cardinals!"

10. In the 1934 World Series, the legendary pitcher Dean was used as a pinch runner in Game 4. His heads-up slide literally broke up a potential double play with his actual head. But — the star pitcher and beloved bumpkin remained unconscious on the field. A nation awaited the results of his hospital tests. And as the old baseball tale goes, headlines the next day read: “X-RAY OF DEAN’S HEAD SHOW NOTHING.”

He proceeded to pitch the next day in Game 5 (losing 3-1). But he threw a shutout in the Game 7 victory.

11. This one earned its status not only because of the slide itself, but also because of the photo capturing it. In Game 6 of the 1967 World Series, Brock lost his helmet and sprinted home on a Curt Flood hit. Lou dove head first on the back side the plate, using his reaching left arm to score. Boston catcher Elston Howard, a ������Ƶ native, couldn’t apply the tag in time. And Boston Globe photographer Frank O’Brien took just a wonderful photo — Howard holding up his glove, Brock looking at him and the umpire above both screaming: “SAFE!”

12. In the final month of Ozzie Smith’s final regular season, “The Wizard” transported his 1982 self to ������Ƶ. He led off at second in the 10th inning of a Sept. 2, 1996 game against Houston — the Cards were in a race for the division, trying to return to the postseason for the first time since 1987, when Smith finished second in the MVP voting.

And the batter that 1996 day? Willie McGee.

Smith’s dear friend chopped a single to center. Ozzie grimaced as he rambled around third. And his feet-first slide beat the throw — and the Cards beat the rival Astros.

13. Miguel Mejia, age 21, was a Rule 5 player in 1996 who had to be on the big-league roster or the Cardinals would lose his rights. As a player, Mejia couldn’t, if you will, hit. But he could run. Tony La Russa sometimes used him as a pinch-runner. And such was the case on a Los Angeles night, 11 days after Ozzie’s walk-off slide (or, perhaps it was a "slide-off"?)

This game in L.A. was scoreless in the ninth. The Cards had two on — Mike Gallego on first and pinch-runner Mejia on second. Danny Sheaffer bunted the runners over. Here's how the Post-Dispatch's Rick Hummel captured the scene:

Mejia was running with the pitch, on a sign he said he had from Tony La Russa. … But, like Enos Slaughter in the 1946 World Series, Mejia didn't stop at third. He roared past coach Tommie Reynolds and slid into catcher Mike Piazza. …

"My (jaw) sank to my stomach, " Tommie Reynolds said in the aftermath. "I said, `Holy cow, there's no way he can score on that.' " …

But umpire Gary Darling said Mejia bounced off Piazza's shin guard with no tag being made. When Mejia finally touched the plate with his hand, he was called safe and the Dodgers went ballistic, losing manager Bill Russell and two players, who were ejected in the debate.

After Mejia's own mad dash, the Post-Dispatch headline stated: CARDS HEAR THE CALL, WIN 2-0 - `COUNTRY' MEJIA SCORES IN 9TH.

14. In 1985 game at Wrigley Field, rookie Vince Coleman stole third with a head-first slide … but overshot the base. Wisely, instead of lunging back toward third and likely getting tagged, Coleman just popped up and started toward home. But he jogged, in efforts to get caught in a run-down and, if anything, buy time for McGee to get to third. But after a couple tosses, the Cubs didn’t have anyone covering home. “Vincent Van Go” stole home. He finished the year with 110 stolen bases and the rookie of the year honors.

15. A young ������Ƶan named David Freese was in the 1996 Busch Stadium stands to witness one of the greatest postseason triples in Cardinals history … until Freese himself hit the undeniable greatest in 2011. In the 1996 NLCS against Atlanta, the Cardinals took a 3-1 lead in Game 4, thanks in part to rookie Dmitri Young’s pinch-hit triple, capped off with an epic head-first slide.

16. Mark Hamilton had only four RBIs in his MLB career. But one drove in the only run of a Chris Carpenter-Johnny Cueto pitchers’ duel on the Fourth of July. That 2011 day at Busch, Hamilton came to bat as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighth. The lefty-swinging Hamilton his a weird ball the other way to third base. Old friend Scott Rolen, then with Cincinnati, made a vintage Scott Rolen play on the ball. But Hamilton took what the Associated Press called “a curious wide turn and belatedly slid head first into the bag.” He was safe, a runner scored and the Cards went on to win, 1-0. They sure needed the “W.” They made the playoffs on the very last day of the season.

17. On the FOX broadcast of the 2012 NLCS, Tim McCarver pointed out that Matt Holliday was one of the "toughest sliders in the National League." On a Game 2 play at second at San Francisco, Holliday leapt late — and his hard slide went past the bag, taking out infielder Marco Scutaro. The play encapsulated the physical impact Holliday would make on games in his great ������Ƶ career.

But the Giants went on to win Game 2 and the series, while Scutaro, of all players, went on to win the NLCS MVP.

18. The longest game in Cardinals history was capped off by a slide from that season’s rookie of the year. One September night in 1974, the Cardinals-Mets game went 25 innings — and lasted seven hours and four minutes. In the ninth, the Cardinals tied the game at 3-3. Nobody scored a run until the top of the 25th. Bake McBride, who went 4 for 10 on the night (and into the morning), was on first when a pickoff throw went wild. Bake just kept on running, all the way home. His didn’t see the stop sign from the third base coach — or, as the manager Red Schoendienst joked to the Post-Dispatch, “Bake was running so fast that he couldn't see the sign.”

McBride slid home for the go-ahead run. The Cards would win, 4-3.  

19. In Game 2 of the 2013 World Series, Matt Carpenter ripped a deep sacrifice fly RBI. Sliding Pete Kozma tied the game, 2-2. But the ball got away, so Jon Jay sped over to third from second.

But then, the throw got away and the second error on the play allowed Jay to score. ������Ƶ took the seventh inning lead, 3-2, and won the game.

20. On April 4, 2017, Cardinals outfielder Stephen Piscotty was hit by a pitch.

On a passed ball, he hustled to second … but the throw hit Piscotty during his slide.

Then, Piscotty ran to third on an ball hit in the infield — and after the fielding was botched, Piscotty headed home. His slide was perfect — the throw was not.

It hit him right in the head.

Three times in one inning. 

21. The 1942 season was Stan Musial’s first full one in the bigs. Sure enough, the Cards made the World Series.

With ������Ƶ up on the Yankees, two games to one, New York took an early lead in Game 4. But in the fourth, Musial got on, actually via a bunt. And then, “The Man” ran from first to third on a Walker Cooper hit, sliding feet-first. It was a close play at third, but Stan was safe.

He’d score on a Whitey Kurowski single ... and the Cards tallied six total runs in the inning. They cruised to a Game 4 win. And won the title in Game 5.  

22. On August 29, 1977, Brock slid into history. It was his 893rd stolen base, surpassing Ty Cobb’s career total for first all-time in the modern era. The Cardinals, in their baby blue V-necks, rushed the field in San Diego to celebrate.

After the fact, historians discovered that Cobb actually had five uncredited steals. But Brock finished his career with 938, thus surpassing Cobb’s revised total, as well as the total of 1800s player Billy Hamilton (914). Brock’s total stands as the National League’s record for most stolen bases.

23. The 1944 World Series was ������Ƶ vs. ������Ƶ.

Game 6, as all of the games were, was played at Sportsman’s Park at the corner of Grand and Dodier. With the score tied 1-1 in the fourth, a Cardinal by the name of Emil Verban hit a sacrifice fly. Teammate Ray Sanders sprinted home and slid in for the go-ahead run. The Cardinals didn’t relinquish the lead and won the World Series that day.

24. The Cardinals needed to win Game 6 of the 1987 NLCS to stay alive. On a Jose Oquendo sacrifice fly, slow-footed Tony Pena was nearly tagged out by his catching cohort. But Pena eluded a tag and sort of lunged and plopped onto home plate. It was the game’s only run. ������Ƶ went on to win the pennant.

25. In August of 2018, hair-raising Harrison Bader slid hair-first into third base. His body whipped around the bag. He was sprawled on his stomach, touching the base without his helmet on, while looking up at the dugout with a huge smile. Just a of sliding glee.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — At his best, gives the Cardinals offense a level of gravitas and elite production. His 2022 National League Most Valuable Player trophy stands as fairly conclusive evidence.

This spring, the Cardinals haven’t gotten Goldschmidt at his best. In fact, at the plate, he’s had his worst spring training performance, statistically, of his career.

With Grapefruit League play now concluded and just two exhibition games remaining before the regular season opener on Thursday, Goldschmidt didn’t try to explain away his struggles. He didn’t attempt to downplay the situation or ignore it. He addressed it pragmatically.

“Obviously, I haven’t played well at all this spring outside of a few games,” Goldschmidt said in the visiting clubhouse at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches following Sunday’s game that the Cardinals lost 9-4 to the Astros. “But I feel good. I just need to maybe make a few small adjustments, which I’ve been working on, and I think it’s getting close. I’ll try and do that and be ready to go on Thursday.”

Through 43 at-bats in exhibition games this spring, Goldschmidt has batted .116 with a .220 on-base percentage and a .233 slugging percentage. He’s struck out 19 times, walked six and collected just five hits (three extra-base hits).

Goldschmidt typically takes an even-keeled approach to stretches of outstanding success at the plate. Emotionally, he doesn’t ride the roller coaster of highs and lows. On a day when he hits multiple home runs, he’ll be the first to point out that he could strikeout three times the next day.

So how concerning has he found the struggles at the plate? Well, that depends on whether they continue.

“If I have at-bats and swings like I did this spring, the results won’t be good,” Goldschmidt said. “This wasn’t a thing of bad luck. There’s always ups and downs throughout the year. Hopefully, this was just a down period and I can make adjustments and play well going forward.”

A 6-foot-3, 225-pound seven-time All-Star, Goldschmidt is entering his 14th season in the majors. The right-handed hitter has won the Silver Slugger Award five times.

His least-productive spring training before this year came in 2014. That time, in Cactus League play, he batted .241 with a .311 on-base percentage and a .370 slugging percentage in 54 at-bats. During the 2014 regular season, he bounced back, batted .300 and earned the second of six consecutive NL All-Star selections.

There’s often an inclination when an accomplished veteran player struggles in spring training to dismiss the poor performance. The games don’t have any significant stakes attached. Teams aren’t likely to completely disregard a player’s track record because of 40 to 60 at-bats in exhibition games. After all, spring training serves as a laboratory in many regards — experimenting, trying new things, test-driving a swing change, a new approach, a slight change in a stance.

Goldschmidt, 36, didn’t use that as an out.

“There’s always a little bit of that but not to the fact of how I played,” Goldschmidt said. “I want to go out there and play well, especially as you get into the second half of camp. And I didn’t do it. I mean, there’s no excuses. I didn’t play well, but I’ll continue to work; hopefully it’ll be a good thing if it kind of exposed some adjustments that I needed to make. I’m working on doing that and being ready for the season.”

Previous struggles

Over the course of 1,774 regular-season games and 7,638 plate appearances, Goldschmidt has compiled a career slash line of .293/.388/.519 with 340 home runs — 10 seasons of 20 homers or more, including seven of at least 30 home runs.

Even in the midst of accumulating those impressive statistics during a highly decorated career, Goldschmidt hasn’t been immune to slumps or bad stretches. This current stretch isn’t unique in his eyes.

“When you’re talking about 40, 50, 60 at-bats, I’ve probably had plenty of times when I’ve performed like this — which is not good — so I think there’s always been times like that, and you could pick out a month here and there throughout my career (that’s not good),” Goldschmidt said.

“That’s just part of the game. I’m trying to make adjustments. I believe I will, and I’m confident that I can play well this year. I just always continue to take it day by day and try to play well.”

Goldschmidt is correct about similar stretches having cropped up at different points in his career, even during some of his best seasons.

In 2021, Goldschmidt hit 31 home runs slashed .294/.365/.514 and finished sixth in the NL MVP voting. During that season, he had a 20-game stretch in April when he batted .183 with a .221 on-base percentage and a .317 slugging percentage in 86 plate appearances (82 at-bats). During that stretch, he struck out 21 times and walked just four times.

During his 2015 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Goldschmidt posted the highest OPS of his career (1.005) that season to go with 33 home runs, 110 RBIs and a slash line of .321/.435/.570 in 159 games. He finished second to Bryce Harper in the NL MVP voting that season.

Goldschmidt also had a three-week stretch in August (19 games) during the 2015 season where he slashed .208/.310/.292 without a home run and with 27 strikeouts and nine walks.

“He’s fine, mentally,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Goldschmidt. “He’s working through some stuff mechanically and from a timing standpoint. For him, it’s different. Some guys slowly progress into feeling good. For him, it’s like literally a swing and it’s like, ‘OK, lock that one in and run.’ He hasn’t had that one yet.”

Marmol’s first season as Cardinals manager coincided with Goldschmidt’s MVP campaign of 2022. Marmol has been part of the Cardinals coaching staff throughout Goldschmidt’s tenure with the club.

Last season, Goldschmidt’s production slipped from it’s outstanding level in 2022, when he led the league in OPS, but he remained productive.

In 2023, he slashed .268/.363/.447 with 25 home runs and 80 RBIs. He made high-quality contact, including a hard-hit rate among the top 7% of the majors and an expected weighted on-base percentage among the top 10%.

Looking ahead

Marmol expressed optimism that Goldschmidt will be fine and reiterated that one at-bat might be all it takes to get the star first baseman back in sync.

“For him, sometimes it’s like one swing where he goes backside homer and just goes from there,” Marmol said over the weekend. “That’s where it’s not concerning.”

Goldschmidt took just two at-bats in Sunday’s exhibition game. Most of the club’s starting position players only remained in the game for four or five innings and batted twice.

For a split second, Goldschmidt’s second at-bat looked as though it might have gone according to Marmol’s script. Goldschmidt fell behind in the count 0-2 against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. Then Goldschmidt poked a ball high into deep right field, but he didn’t quite square it up on the barrel of the bat. The ball jumped off the bat, but it lost steam a several steps in front of the warning track.

Goldschmidt still hadn’t taken that one get-right swing. So he’ll keep chasing it.

“You know you’re not going to be locked in the whole year,” Goldschmidt said. “There’s always going to be ups and downs and adjustments to be made. I’ll just try and take it day by day and try to play well.”

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Cardinals leave Florida having gone 11-12-5 in spring training games one year after they won the Grapefruit League championship.

Of course, that spring training title run led into one of the worst regular seasons in recent history. So an under .500 spring training record might prove a better omen for the season.

Cardinals veteran pitcher Lance Lynn allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings against the Houston Astros in a 9-4 loss at CACTI Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. 

Lynn struck out five, and he threw 86 pitches (53 strikes). Three of the runs against Lynn came in a four-run fourth inning, after the Astros had already built a 3-0 lead.

In the fourth inning, Lynn gave up a leadoff double to Shay Whitcomb, uncorked a wild pitch, gave up an RBI single to Mauricio Dubon and a single to Victor Caratini. Lynn exited the game in favor of relief pitcher Chris Roycroft, who walked Joey Loperfido to loaded the bases.

The next batter, Corey Julks, grounded out to third base and drove in the lead runner from third base. Jon Singleton whacked a two-run single to round out the scoring in the inning. Only the final run of the inning went on Roycroft’s tab.

Lynn re-entered the game and retired the side in the fifth on a pop-up to second base and back-to-back strikeouts swinging.

The Cardinals trailed by nine runs after six innings, but their offense temporarily jump started in the seventh inning when they scored four runs in an inning that started with consecutive walks by Pedro Pages, Nathan Church and Michael Siani.

Jacob Buchberger drove in a run with a single, and R.J. Yeager added to that total with a two-run double. The fourth run came courtesy of Jose Fermin’s sacrifice fly.

Yeager went 2 for 3 with two RBIs. He had the only multi-hit game for the Cardinals. Most of the Cardinals starting position players exited the game after two at-bats and four to five innings. Nolan Gorman went 1 for 2 with a double, and Ivan Herrera also went 1 for 2.

From earlier …

Cardinals set to wrap-up Florida portion of camp, latest on Brandon Crawford, Sonny Gray

Cardinals veteran right-hander Lance Lynn will pitch his final spring training tune-up before the regular season begins in the club’s final exhibition game of the Florida portion of their camp on Sunday.

Lynn, who will also start the Cardinals’ regular season home opener at Busch Stadium on April 4, starts against the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. The Cardinals will travel to Arizona after the game, where they’ll play a pair of exhibition games against the Chicago Cubs on Monday and Tuesday. Left-hander Steven Matz (Monday) and right-hander Kyle Gibson (Tuesday) are scheduled to start the final two exhibition games.

The Cardinals begin the regular season on Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles.

“We really like where we’re at as a club,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said prior to Sunday’s game. “We set out to do several things in this camp, and I feel like we were able to accomplish all of them. The team. The overall feel. The confidence in the group. The comradery in that clubhouse is where we need it to be. The attention to detail all camp has been really, really good.”

Cardinals left-handed reliever John King remains unavailable due to a stomach bug, and he will not travel with the team after the game. King, acquired last summer from the Texas Rangers in the deal that sent pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton to Rangers, entered the weekend among the relievers competing for the final bullpen roster spots.

Marmol said that shortstop Brandon Crawford, who hasn’t played since getting hit on the hand/wrist by a 95.5-mph pitch on March 17, took swings on Saturday and was going to hit on the field on Sunday.

Crawford got a late start to spring training because he didn’t sign a contract until Feb. 27, and he joined the Cardinals with camp already underway. Crawford has been day-to-day since he was hit by the pitch, but Marmol said on Saturday that Crawford is expected to be with the club when they open the regular season.

Outfielder Lar Nootbaar took swings (off of a tee and front toss) on Saturday, the first time he has swung a bat since suffering fractured ribs. Nootbaar will remain in Florida as the team travels to Arizona and on to the West Coast. Center fielder Tommy Edman (wrist), relief pitcher Keynan Middleton (forearm) and starting pitcher Sonny Gray (recovery from hamstring strain) will all also remain in Florida.

Gray threw three innings in a live batting practice session on Saturday after a minor-league game got rained out for a second consecutive day. He's scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game in Florida on Thursday, March 28.

Here’s today’s lineup against the Astros

1. Brendan Donovan, 3B

2. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B

3. Nolan Gorman, 2B

4. Nolan Arenado, DH

5. Alec Burleson, LF

6. Ivan Herrera, C

7. Jordan Walker, RF

8. Michael Siani, CF

9. Masyn Winn, SS

Pitcher: Lance Lynn (RHP). Also listed as available in relief: RHP Ryan Helsley, RHP Andre Pallante, RHP Giovanny Gallegos, RHP Ryan Fernandez, RHP Dionys Rodriguez, RHP Matt Svanson, RHP Chris Roycroft, RHP Edwin Nunez, RHP Andrew Marrero, RHP Brandon Komar, HRP Wilfredo Pereira, RHP Luis Gastelum.

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ST. LOUIS — Despite months of uncertainty about the future of ������Ƶ Cardinals broadcasting, fans will be able to view the games exactly as they did last year when the team’s new season begins Thursday.

Indeed, the current TV arrangement could continue into 2025 and beyond — depending on decisions made by the Houston bankruptcy court shepherding Diamond Sports Group through Chapter 11 proceedings.

But even if Diamond, the parent company of Cardinals broadcaster Bally Sports Midwest, gets approval for its recent proposal to emerge from bankruptcy and continue broadcasting professional sports, changes in how to watch the Cardinals still are almost certainly on the horizon.

The Cardinals are eager to give fans more ways to access games. And the business model on which many professional teams rely for broadcasting was developed decades ago, when tens of millions more U.S. households subscribed to cable television.

“We’re in this transition period, where the business is changing and we’re trying to sort of reinvent the distribution model,” Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said.

The industry will have to move fast enough to serve the growing number of fans who want to watch games on streaming platforms and mobile devices — without moving so fast as to jeopardize the revenue they still depend on from cable subscribers.

“You’ll never totally discard the traditional TV,” said Patrick Rishe, executive director of the sports business program at Washington University. “You’re always going to have some people who want to consume it that way. But every network has now realized: ‘We need to diversify and be able to provide something for everybody.’”

DeWitt said he’s confident that no matter the outcome of Diamond’s bankruptcy, the next few years can yield better viewing options for fans.

“Regardless of what happens, I think access to Cardinals games will get easier. It won’t just be on two or three bundled cable products,” DeWitt said. “I think you’ll have an expanded array of options for getting our games in the future. I just don’t know exactly what those options will be. But I think from a fan’s standpoint, they’re going to be better off.”

Drop in cable subscribers

Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy in March 2023. Documents filed in the case detail the financial pressures that stacked up against the company in recent years.

As Americans abandoned their traditional TV plans, many didn’t replace them with an alternate way of viewing live broadcasts. Diamond’s lawyers wrote in filings that over the course of two years, the company lost agreements with Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DISH Network and Sling TV. Diamond lost roughly 35% of its subscribers — or about 22 million — between 2019 and March 2023.

“The key to that business model is having cable subscribers,” Rishe said. “With each new generation of sports fans, every year, we’ve slowly seen an erosion of people subscribing to cable bundles.”

The business works this way: The television-watching public pays distributors such as Spectrum, DirecTV, AT&T and Comcast for the ability to access different bundles of channels. Those companies pay fees to Diamond’s networks for producing professional sports telecasts. Those sports networks pay fees to teams such as the Cardinals for the rights to broadcast their games.

Consumers’ growing indifference toward traditional TV has rippled all the way up the chain. The distributors, squeezed by the drop in subscribers, approach their negotiations with the sports networks more aggressively, Diamond’s lawyers wrote in court filings. The fees the networks pay to the teams — feasible when business was booming — have become “uneconomic,” they wrote.

Depending on the team and the agreement, broadcast rights can provide 20% to 30% of a team’s annual revenues, an attorney for the Texas Rangers said during a recent hearing. Ticket revenues typically are major league teams’ second-largest source of cash, experts said (the Cardinals tend to outperform others in that right, drawing outsized attendance for ������Ƶ’ market size). Corporate sponsorships, such as stadium naming rights and “patch deals” for bits of real estate on players’ uniforms, are a distant third.

Uncertainty around broadcast fees can in turn impact the length of teams’ player contract offers, said Brett Boyle, associate professor of marketing at ������Ƶ University and executive director of SportMetric Consulting.

“A lot of teams are very hesitant to give long-term contracts to free agents,” Boyle said. “Because they just don’t know how this is going to shake out.”

The role of tech companies

In January, when Diamond Sports Group’s lawyers showed up at a bankruptcy court, they were armed with news.

They had hammered out a set of deals that would inject money into Diamond, allowing the company to emerge from bankruptcy and continue broadcasting sports.

“For the first time in this case, Diamond, I can say confidently, is on a path to reorganizing and getting out of bankruptcy as a going concern,” Brian Hermann, an attorney representing Diamond, told the judge.

Diamond’s bankruptcy plan requires approval from the court, which has another hearing set for April.

Still, DeWitt said, the team has been doing its homework to be prepared for any situation in which Bally no longer holds Cardinals broadcasting rights. In that scenario, the team would have to line up a distributor. Whether the Cardinals would team up with the NHL’s ������Ƶ Blues for that is an open question.

DeWitt noted that Major League Baseball set up a local media department in preparation for Diamond’s bankruptcy. It took over broadcasts for the San Diego Padres last year after Diamond to the team and allowed the grace period to expire and for the Arizona Diamondbacks after Diamond asked to get out of its agreement with the team.

DeWitt emphasized that as it stands, the Cardinals still are under contract with Bally, which has made good on all of its obligations to the team.

Diamond’s proposed bankruptcy plan includes an investment from Amazon, which could make Bally Sports+ available for purchase on Amazon Prime. And over the long term, big tech companies such as Apple and Amazon likely will play a larger role in sports broadcasting, said Boyle, of SportMetric Consulting.

“It’s going to take somebody with big purse strings to be able to do something on a national level,” Boyle said. “My guess is, these major tech companies are going to be players, in some way, in this equation.”

For DeWitt, any long-term game plan for televising the Cardinals has to include better options for viewers. He wants fans to have a method to stream games beyond the “authenticated streaming” that cable subscribers can access by, for example, logging into their Spectrum or DirecTV account on a computer or smartphone. Under the current format, a subscription to a distributor that carries Bally Sports Midwest is needed to access Cardinals games via Bally streaming.

DeWitt repeatedly has called for an end to the so-called blackout policies that prevent the Cardinals and other teams from reaching fans through a streaming service in some regions.

“There are a couple ways in which our fans have trouble finding our games,” DeWitt said. “That’s something we’d like to get fixed here in the next couple years.”

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