Aledmys Diaz popped up for the second out but Matt Carpenter walked and Peralta singled for his third hit in his last four at-bats over two games. Peralta, who had fouled a ball off his left knee in a game last week, then came out for a pinch runner as the Cardinals try to protect him for the start of the regular season.

CARPENTER GETS THE EASY RBI

New No. 3 hitter Matt Carpenter had spoken earlier in the spring about how there were going to be relatively easy runs batted in available to him this year with Dexter Fowler and Aledmys Diaz hitting ahead of him. So it was in the first inning Wednesday in the Cardinals’ final Grapefruit League game when Carpenter’s sacrifice fly scored Fowler with the game’s first run.

Fowler had an infield single against Washington righthander Stephen Strasburg and reached second on an error by second baseman Brandon Snyder. Diaz’s groundout moved Fowler to third and Carpenter made it 1-0 with a fly to center.