Cardinals tune up for Grapefruit with rout

JUPITER, Fla. -- Vying for a job in left field, Emil Brown had a home run, scored twice and knocked in two runs as the St. Louis Cardinals tuned up for their Grapefruit League opener with a 10-1 exhibition victory Tuesday over Florida Atlantic.

"All Brown has to do is to play well and he'll have a shot at left field," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa of the prospect who last season hit 12 home runs, stole 18 bases and batted .285 at Triple-A Louisville. "He had a good game today and played well defensively."

As the Cardinals prepare to open Grapefruit League play Thursday by hosting the New York Mets, La Russa on Tuesday also said rookie shortstop Hector Luna "handled himself well for the first game," getting two hits and displaying "a good arm." Luna hit .297 at Double-A Akron last year.

Outfielder Colin Porter, who hit .320 at Triple-A New Orleans last season and played briefly with Houston, had three hits, scored twice and batted in a run while defensively showing what La Russa considered good speed in the outfield.

Rookie John Gall's fourth-inning home run down the left field line was first signaled foul by the third-base umpire, then called fair. Gall hit 26 homers with three minor-league teams last season.

Florida Atlantic brought a 12-1 record and a .323 team batting average into the game but were outmatched by St. Louis' second-tier players.