February 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter JJ Weatherholt (77) gets on base after hitting a home run in the fourth inning against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images St. Louis top prospect JJ Wetherholt hit the game-winning home run to lead the Cardinals to a 7-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in a spring training game in Jupiter, Florida, on Monday.
Weatherholt, ranked 5th among baseball prospects according to MLB Pipeline, hit his second spring home run in the top of the 6th inning to break a 2-2 tie. He’s hitting .278 as he works his way to the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster.
The Cardinals added three more runs in the seventh inning with home runs by Joshua Baez and Chase Davis, the fourth-ranked prospects in the organization. Matt Svanson recorded the win with a scoreless frame after Matthew Liberatore struck out seven and allowed two runs over five innings.
Sam Huff homered, Jhonkensy Noel had an RBI single for the Orioles and saw Nestor German take the loss after allowing five runs in three innings.
Braves 9, Twins 8
Atlanta scored eight runs in the first inning before escaping with a win over Minnesota in Northport, Florida.
Mauricio Dubon had 2 hits and 3 RBIs, Austin Riley went 3-for-3 with a run scored and Michael Harris II and NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin each had a pair for the Braves. Carlos Carrasco earned the win despite allowing four runs in 2 2/3 innings.
Royce Lewis and Josh Bell ignited the comeback race, hitting two of the Twins’ five home runs. Luke Keaschall went 2-for-2 with a triple and a double. Starting pitcher Zebby Matthews struggled in the loss, allowing six runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Tigers 4, Race 4
Kevin McGonigle’s seventh-inning home run helped Detroit tie the game against Tampa Bay in Lakeland, Florida.
Will Simpson hit a two-run home run for the Rays and went 3-for-4, raising his spring average to .455. John Peck also homered for the Tigers and Riley Greene (2-for-3) opened the scoring with an RBI single.
Framber Valdez had a strong performance on the mound in Detroit, giving up one earned run and striking out six over four innings. Rays starter Shane McClanahan struggled a bit more, allowing three hits and three runs over 2 1/3 innings.
Red Sox 5, Phillies 3
Nick Sogard’s three-run home run played a key role in Boston’s comeback victory over Philadelphia in Fort Myers, Florida.
Trevor Story, Braiden Ward and Allan Castro each had two of the Red Sox’ 11 hits, with Ward adding an RBI and his 14th stolen base of the spring. Boston won despite a suboptimal start from Garrett Crochet, who allowed two runs in two innings but allowed a total of three runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Jose Rodriguez provided the Phillies’ only RBI of the day with an RBI single, one of the team’s six hits, all of which were singles. Bryan Rincon scored the team’s final run on a steal of home. Bryse Wilson was the losing pitcher, allowing six hits and four runs in three innings.
Astros 10, Cardinals (ss) 3
Joey Loperfido scored three points to help Houston lose against St. Louis in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Loperfido homered and added an RBI single and Taylor Trammell contributed a two-run triple for the Astros. The Astros’ pitching staff recorded 13 strikeouts but walked seven as Peter Lambert earned the win in three innings of relief.
Nelson Velazquez had two of the Cardinals’ five hits, including an RBI single in the seventh. They stranded 11 runners and set the stage for the loss after starting Richard Pitts gave up four runs on six hits over 2 2/3 innings.
–Field level media
