JUPITER, Fla. • Outfielder Lance Berkman, who was supposed to be the designated hitter, was scratched from Thursday's Cardinals lineup because he has incurred a minor left calf strain in addition to the more pressing issue of his sore left throwing elbow. Manager Tony La Russa, who pulled Berkman before La Russa went north to Port St. Lucie, Fla., for the other game in the Cardinals' split-squad doubleheader, said, "He wanted to play. But we'll be careful. There's no need to push."

And Berkman himself said, "I'd be perfectly fine to play," but added that the training staff thought it would be best otherwise. So it was that Zack Cox, who didn't figure to get too many at-bats in his first big-league camp after he was the Cardinals' top draft choice last year, became the DH and the No. 5 hitter - and one of the stars of the Cardinals' 7-5 win over Washington.

Cox had a double and a single and showed good baserunning acumen in a five-run fourth inning, advancing to third on a short wild pitch and then sliding home safely to beat the throw to the plate on a fielder's choice groundout.

The hits, of course, don't count in any real statistics but Cox said, "I count it as experience. A good experience."

Asked if he were nervous in his first start in a major-league game, Cox said, "Before every game I've ever played in my entire life, I've always been nervous. No matter what. So it was no different today. But when the game starts and I get between the lines, it just all goes away."

DICKSON IMPRESSIVE

Pitching coach Dave Duncan, not one for hyperbole, liked what he saw of starter Brandon Dickson, a non-roster righthander who made the Pacific Coast League All-Star team last year at Memphis. Dickson, a sinkerball pitcher who has an outside shot at a rotation job, recorded six outs on ground balls and gave up two runs - one unearned - in three innings against Washington. "I was impressed," said Duncan.

"I thought he kept the ball down and I liked the movement on the ball. And he threw eight or nine breaking balls for strikes. A lot of good things."

Duncan said he didn't know if Dickson would get another start immediately but that Dickson would get some significant innings in his next appearance.

Dickson said he was "amped up," for his first major league spring start. "I was coming in (to the clubhouse) and I was still ‘amped up,''' he said.

Catcher Yadier Molina caught all nine innings Thursday as he wanted to handle several new pitchers, including Dickson and hard-throwing Maikel Cleto. "I want to know everybody on the team," said Molina.

"I think (Dickson and Cleto) did a pretty good job of controlling their emotions."

Molina, a three-time Gold Glover, threw out one of three basestealers and picked off a runner at third in a key spot in the eighth although he committed a throwing error that led to one run.

At Port St. Lucie, backup catcher Gerald Laird threw out two runners - Jose Reyes and Willie Harris.

"You try to make good throws," said Laird, "because, trust me, they're watching and they log that in their head for the season. Reyes kind of smiled at me from the dugout. It's nice to get out there and make some good throws and put it in their head."

Cardinals lefthander Jaime Garcia was a bit erratic in two innings against the Mets, throwing 43 pitches, 26 for strikes He gave up just one unearned run, though.

"I was little a jumpy at the beginning," Garcia said. "That was the first game, you get a little too excited and start to throw a little too good, try to do a bit too much."

Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.