Cardinals' Junior Fernandez: Hit hard in '21 debut

Fernandez, recalled by the Cardinals earlier in the day, allowed three earned runs on two hits and two walks over one inning in relief in a loss to the Padres on Saturday.

Fernandez got only 12 of 28 pitches into the strike zone during an arduous fifth inning against a hot-hitting Padres squad. The 24-year-old hasn't seen any real success against big-league bats since 2019, as he also pitched to an 18.00 ERA and 2.67 WHIP during a brief three-appearance, three-inning majors stint in 2020. Needless to say, Fernandez figures in for only low-leverage scenarios during his current tenure with the Cardinals.