Will Warren throws three perfect innings, Dominic Smith homers again as Yankees top Cardinals

The Yankees defeated the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 7-0 on Wednesday afternoon in Tampa.

Here are the takeaways...

-Will Warren pitched 3.0 perfect innings for the Yankees. The 25-year-old struck out four Cardinals and also benefited from a nice sliding catch by Cody Bellinger in center field.

Warren spent all of last season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and the former eighth-round pick will likely start this season there.

-The Yankees’ bats came to life in the bottom of the third inning. To get things started, Dominic Smith launched his second homer in as many days, as he continues to make a strong early impression at Yankees camp.

From there, the wheels kept spinning as the Yankees got RBI hits from Jasson Dominguez, Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, and Austin Wells, breaking the game open at 6-0. The Yanks batted around in the inning, and Smith nearly hit his second homer of the frame, flying out to the wall in right to end the inning.

-New York's pitchers did not allow a hit until the sixth inning, as Warren, Yoendrys Gomez, and Mark Leiter Jr. all kept the Cardinals at bay. Brent Headrick finally allowed a pair of hits in the sixth, but he escaped the frame without giving up a run. Headrick, a 6-foot-6 lefty, ended up pitching two scoreless innings while striking out four.

-The Yankees had Jazz Chisholm Jr. hitting leadoff, and he ended his afternoon going 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.

Who was the MVP?

Wells, who drove in a pair of runs with his third-inning double in what was a strong spring debut for the backstop.

Upcoming Schedule

The Yankees head to Clearwater, Fla. to visit the Phillies on Thursday afternoon, with first pitch at 1:05 p.m.