WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Houston Astros offense erupted Monday afternoon, rallying from an early deficit to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 10–3 in Grapefruit League split-squad play at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
Joey Loperfido helped spark the comeback with a two-run homer in the fourth inning that gave Houston its first lead of the afternoon. His shot to left-center scored Carlos Correa and put the Astros ahead 3–2. Loperfido later added an RBI single in the seventh, finishing the day with three runs driven in.
Taylor Trammell continued his strong spring with a bases-clearing triple in the fourth that pushed the Astros’ lead to 5–2, scoring César Salazar and Jake Meyers. The non-roster outfielder has been a consistent offensive presence in camp and again delivered a timely extra-base hit.
The reserves blew the game open late. Houston sent seven runs across in the eighth inning, highlighted by consecutive doubles from Lucas Spence, James Nelson, and Walker Janek. Janek’s two-bagger capped the rally and effectively ended the Cardinals’ hopes of a comeback.
On the mound, Cristian Javier struggled early, loading the bases in the first and allowing two runs in the second before exiting after just one inning of work.
Anthony Maldonado settled things down with a scoreless third inning, and Peter Lambert followed with two strong frames, holding St. Louis off the board through the fifth.
Ryan Weiss provided the sharpest outing of the day, retiring all three batters he faced in the sixth inning while striking out two. The KBO veteran has now thrown five scoreless innings this spring as he continues making a quiet case for a roster spot.
Jayden Murray handled the eighth inning cleanly as Houston closed out the win.
César Salazar also contributed quietly, collecting a single, stealing a base, and scoring a run before exiting in the sixth.
