The Cardinals erased an eight-run deficit in the seventh inning of Wednesday afternoon’s Grapefruit League game against the Orioles. Outfielder Yairo Munoz was a big contributor as he hit a pair of home runs in the frame.
Munoz led off the seventh with a home run off of Andrew Faulkner, cutting the Orioles’ lead to 9-2. The Cardinals proceeded to load the bases with no outs, then with one out, Wilfredo Tovar cleared the bases with a double. Alex Mejia tacked on an RBI single to bring the Cardinals closer at 9-6. Munoz came back up to the plate with runners on second and third and two outs, then drilled a three-run home run to left field, tying the game at 9-9.
As Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes, Munoz wasn’t even supposed to be in Wednesday’s lineup. He was only put in when Rangel Ravelo said he didn’t feel good after batting practice.
Munoz, 23, is the 10th-best prospect in the Cardinals’ system, according to MLB Pipeline. The Cardinals acquired him from the Athletics in December along with Max Schrock in the Stephen Piscotty trade. Munoz split his season last year between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Nashville. Unsurprisingly, he had better numbers at Double-A than at Triple-A. Altogether, he hit .300/.330/.464 with 13 home runs, 68 RBI, 65 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases in 477 plate appearances.
