Redbirds post 10-5 preseason victory

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Jerry Manuel saw several positive developments in Mike Pelfrey's latest start -- that doesn't mean the Mets manager didn't see the bad, too.

Pelfrey gave up consecutive homers to Colby Rasmus and Ryan Ludwick in a three-run third inning and another home run to Albert Pujols in the fifth, and the St. Louis Cardinals used a 19-hit attack to beat New York 10-5 on Sunday in a preseason game.

"He's got to get the ball down and work more in," Manuel said. "He had a pretty good slider and split and sinker. His location has to be better and he has to keep it down.

"But I think he did some good things," Manuel said.

The right-hander allowed six runs and 12 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Pelfrey tossed 104 pitches in his longest spring outing.

Pelfrey was effective through two scoreless innings before St. Louis struck for three in the second.

Then Rasmus hit an opposite-field, wind-aided homer that bounced off the light tower in left field for a 2-0 lead. Ludwick, the next batter, connected on the 12th pitch of his at-bat on a towering shot that landed beyond a party tent behind the left field fence.

Pujols added a homer to straightaway center field two innings later for a 4-2 St. Louis lead.

"The home runs were four-seam fastballs. I'm not too worried about it," Pelfrey said. "Those pitches aren't used to get groundballs. My secondary stuff was good and I got to my pitch count."

Pelfrey said he used his hard, sinking fastball to get outs in the first two innings, then turned to the four-seam and split-finger pitches the rest of the game.

"I'm using a lot more secondary stuff and trying to get comfortable with it. And I threw some of those pitches behind in the count. Looking back on today, the one thing I didn't do was come inside enough," he said. "It was a good day."

The 26-year-old pitcher said he wouldn't put too much stock in the results.

"In 2007 I had my best spring ever and made the team, then I wound up going 0-7 in the regular season," he said.

Nick Stavinoha homered off Ryota Igarashi in the seventh.

Angel Pagan and Frank Catalanotto each hit two-run homers for New York.

Making his fifth spring start, Kyle Lohse worked 5 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and two runs. He also had an RBI single.

Noteworthy

* Ludwick left the game after hitting in the third inning. He fouled two balls off his shin.