Tigers pitcher Drew Smyly gave up two solo home runs to former teammate Jhonny Peralta, but that was the only damage the Cardinals could muster against the starter in Monday's 8-5 Tigers win.
Smyly allowed three hits in all while striking out two in three innings in the start, and he felt encouraged by Monday's start despite the home runs.
"I felt like I located pretty well for the most part, threw some good changeups that they swung and missed on," Smyly told MLB.com. "For the most part, I had pretty clean, efficient innings, kept my pitch count low. So that's good. You've got to get quick outs to stay in the ballgame. That's always something to work on. Just keep getting your pitches and location as best you can and prepare yourself for the regular season. There's nothing really in particular. My changeup, I'm going to keep working on that and just try to find everything else out."
Smyly is ticketed for a spot in the rotation after serving as a reliever last season.