JUPITER, Fla. • With his first regular-season start slated for March 31 in New York, Cardinals righthander Adam Wainwright will not face the Mets Tuesday in the exhibition game here. Manager Mike Matheny had said, “You’d hate to show them everything you’ve got,” so Wainwright will pitch in a minor-league game and Mike Mayers will start against the Mets.
The Cardinals will play the Mets three times in the next five days, so staff ace Carlos Martinez, the opening-day starters in New York on March 29, won’t face the Mets Saturday here either but also will pitch for a second time in a minor-league setting.