Carpenter struggles; Cards lose to Orioles

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Sidney Ponson pitched five effective innings in his final tuneup before his first opening day start, and the Baltimore Orioles roughed up Chris Carpenter in a 10-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.

Ponson allowed one run, seven hits and a walk. The right-hander will next face the Boston Red Sox at home Sunday night.

Ponson went 2-1 with a 4.85 in six starts this spring.

"I'm throwing the ball better; I think I finally got my first 1-2-3 inning today, so I'm happy about that," he said.

The Cardinals got a run in the first on an RBI single by Jim Edmonds, but Baltimore took control by scoring five in the bottom half. Miguel Tejada hit an RBI single before Jay Gibbons singled in two runs and David Segui followed with a two-run double.

A two-out, two-run double by Javy Lopez made it 7-1 in the second.

Carpenter, expected to have a spot in St. Louis' rotation, gave up seven runs and eight hits in five innings.

Rob Ramsay, who underwent surgery for brain cancer two years ago, pitched a scoreless ninth for the Orioles. It was his third appearance of the spring, the first in which he didn't give up a run.