JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — For a hitter not known for fast starts, Paul Goldschmidt put up a lofty number in spring training. A batting average of .500, in fact. The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman popped up and had a sacrifice fly on Tuesday against Miami, leaving him at 11 for 22. Goldschmidt’s hits haven’t been of the cheap variety, either. Four left the ballpark. It would have been five had Washington’s Lane Thomas not extended his glove over the wall on Monday, flicking a ball back into the field of play that Dee Strange-Gordon then caught in mid-air for an out. The Cardinals open the season Thursday at home against Pittsburgh.
