The Latest Breaking News from Packy Naughton

JUPITER, Fla. — The trucks freighting the Cardinals’ gear from Busch Stadium arrived and were unpacked Wednesday, and at the same time the club continued another spring training tradition.

The Cardinals don’t feature a dominant starter like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer or Sandy Alcantara in their rotation.

ST. LOUIS — A dizzying swirl of events, some unexpected and some just outright improvised, carried the Cardinals through the Dodgers’ gauntlet to the most dazzling victory of the season.

In manager Oliver Marmol’s perfect world, left-hander Packy Naughton and Andre Pallante, the relievers who were the first two hurlers for the Cardinals in Monday afternoon’s “bullpen game,” would have pitched the first six innings. The final three would belong to late-inning stalwarts Giovanny Gallegos, Genesis Cabrera and Ryan Helsley.

ST. LOUIS — Left-handed reliever Packy Naughton, replacing COVID-affected Adam Wainwright, made his first Cardinals start Tuesday night against a Baltimore Orioles team which hadn’t been to St. Louis, almost since its forbearers, the Browns, were here.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol adjusted his lineup Wednesday so that his top three producers this season were hitting 1-2-3. After Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, moved up from No. 4, had batted in the first inning Wednesday, the Cardinals had three runs off Kansas…

ST. LOUIS — On a scale of injuries, the right wrist contusion suffered Tuesday night by Cardinals right-hander Jordan Hicks, who has had myriad elbow problems since 2019, doesn’t rank as the most dire thing that’s happened to him. For instance, he lives every day as a Type 1 diabetic.