Red Sox hand Cardinals 7-6 loss in exhibition play

~ St. Louis was held hitless through six innings as it fell to 1-4 in the preseason

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Josh Beckett made his second start of spring training, and Red Sox pitchers kept the St. Louis Cardinals hitless into the seventh inning.

But it was Boston's young hitters who pulled out the win Monday.

Che-Shuan Lin's one-out single in the ninth scored Josh Reddick after Reddick doubled in the tying run, and the Red Sox beat the Cardinals 7-6.

Reddick was 2 for 3 with two RBIs, and shortstop Jose Iglesias, a Cuban defector and one of Boston's top prospects, hit a three-run homer.

Saint Louis Cardinals Felipe Lopez, right, steals second base against Boston Red Sox short stop Marco Scutaro, in the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game in Fort Myers, Fla., Monday, March 8, 2010.(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

"That's exactly what those young guys are here for," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "Some of these guys are not here to make the club. They know that. They're going to get ready for a long season wherever they're playing."

Iglesias, who signed with the Red Sox in September and is in his first spring training camp, speaks very little English. He replied in English when asked what has been the most fun for him this spring: "My first home run."

Beckett did not allow a hit over three scoreless innings and struck out three. In five innings this spring, Beckett has given up just one run.

"I felt like I located. I got the ball down well. I got some ground balls in the first inning and really had my legs under me in the second," Beckett said.

"He was really good," Francona said. "He went down and threw 15 more in the bullpen just to try and stretch it out a little bit because he's got an extra day till his next [start]. But he was really good."

Chris Carpenter made his first appearance of the spring for the Cardinals. He went two innings, giving up a run on four hits with a strikeout and no walks.

"I came into today wanting to get into a real-game situation, and controlling your body in that situation is obviously what you work toward. This is obviously another level up compared to live BP. I felt like I did what I needed to do," Carpenter said. "I made some good pitches with my fastball. Obviously I left some in the middle of the plate, too. That's going to happen. My breaking ball was inconsistent. But I got accomplished what I needed to."

Albert Pujols was expected to make the cross-state trip but was scratched because of discomfort in his back. He had a scheduled day off Sunday, and is not expected to play today against the Twins.