Rosenthal pain-free in debut, Wacha pitches 3 solid innings for Cards in 4-4 tie with Nats

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha throws during the second inning of an exhibition spring training baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, March 8, 2014, in Jupiter, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (The Associated Press)

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Chris Young throws in the first inning of an exhibition spring training baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Saturday, March 8, 2014, in Jupiter, Fla. (AP Photo/David Goldman) (The Associated Press)

Trevor Rosenthal had a pain-free spring training debut and Michael Wacha pitched three effective innings for the St. Louis Cardinals in a 4-4 tie with a Washington Nationals split squad that was called after 10 innings Saturday.

Groin pain prompted the Cardinals to sideline Rosenthal for a few days this spring, but that wasn't a problem Saturday. The hard-throwing closer said he's nearly in regular-season form following his first Grapefruit League appearance.

Wacha worked two perfect innings before allowing a run on two hits and a walk in the third.

Destin Hood's three-run homer gave the Nationals a 4-1 lead in the eighth. St. Louis tied it with three in the bottom half, including Greg Garcia's two-run single.