WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Houston Astros fell to 0-2 in Grapefruit League play Sunday, dropping a 6-5 decision to the St. Louis Cardinals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.
Mike Burrows was sharp in his first outing of the spring, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and one walk. The momentum shifted in the third inning when Rule 5 pick Roddery Muñoz entered the game.
Muñoz, who must remain on the 26-man roster all season or be offered back to Cincinnati, allowed four hits and four runs (two earned) in one inning. The Cardinals sent eight batters to the plate in the frame. Thomas Saggese delivered an RBI single, and Yohel Pozo lined a two-run double to left field.
The 25-year-old right-hander has struggled with command at the major league level, entering camp with a 6.73 ERA over 93⅔ career innings with Miami and St. Louis. His spring debut featured traffic on the bases and several hard-hit balls.
Houston opened the scoring in the second inning when Jack Winkler launched a solo home run off Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy. The Astros added a run in the sixth and mounted a three-run rally in the ninth, but fell just short.
Cody Bolton also ran into trouble in the fifth, walking four batters in two-thirds of an inning as St. Louis extended its lead to 6-1.
Riley Unroe went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Jake Meyers added an RBI single. The Astros committed two errors—one by shortstop Jeremy Peña and another by first baseman Collin Price—and left runners on base in the loss.
Jordan Walker paced the Cardinals, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a walk. Pozo finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a walk.
Houston will travel to Port St. Lucie to face the New York Mets at 12:10 p.m. CT Tuesday.