Mar. 7—LAKELAND, Fla. — As if the walks the Cardinals allowed weren’t maddening enough, the balls Detroit put in play sure had a funny way of finding fielders not ready for them, too.

Before the game, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol acknowledged that he did not have a complete set of choices for center field Tuesday against the Tigers at Joke Marchant Stadium. He went with Moises Gomez, a slugger who had some minor-league experience in center field, and then let the game go where it took them.

The result was an ugly 16-3 loss to the Tigers that was a reminder of how few times in the coming weeks the Cardinals are going to have their planned team together in the field.

Welcome to the weeks of the WBC. There could be games like this. Gordon Graceffo walked three and allowed a three-run inning that was complicated by two plays in the outfield. A ball fell in front of Gomez that led to a run, and a fly ball that shortstop Paul DeJong had measured was instead called for by left field Juan Yepez. The catch was not made to prolong an inning. Michael McGreevy followed Graceffo into the game and allowed six runs, though three of them scored after he left the game and a reliever, lefty Andrew Suarez, allowed a bases-clearing double.

Two of the Cardinals runs came on solo homers. (See below.)

What Graceffo and McGreevy each had difficulty doing was finishing at-bats when ahead and finishing innings when in trouble. Each experienced an inning erupt on them. Graceffo got two outs in the second inning from the first two batters he faced, and then came the trouble. A walk to the No. 8 hitter, a double that dropped in front of Gomez, a double that went beyond Gomez, and then an RBI single. Four batters and three runs later, Graceffo got the final out of the inning but it took a reach to do it.

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— Nolan Gorman and Dylan Carlson homered for the Cardinals. Gorman hit his against a left-handed pitcher, and Carlson hit his second from the left side in as many games. Carlson had struck out twice before connecting on his homer.

Gorman added a single later in the game to finish two-for-two.

— Carlson’s homer traveled an estimated 384 feet.

— Gorman’s homer traveled an estimated 371 feet and left his bat at 103.9 mph.

— When the Cardinals update their rosters after spring physicals, Jordan Walker’s height will, officially, read 6-foot-6. He needed all of that height and his reach to catch a liner at the wall in right field that ended the second inning for Graceffo.

— Tigers lefty Matthew Boyd hoodwinked the Cardinals with his off-speed pitches through the first three innings. Boyd struck out four of the first five batters he faced before Gorman’s solo homer. By the time Boyd was through the lineup for the first time, he struck out seven of the Cardinals. Gorman and Walker were the only Cardinals to put the ball in play.

Boyd needed 42 pitches to get through three innings, and 32 of those pitches were strikes. He struck out seven. According to Statcast data, Boyd nine swings and misses — three on the changeup, three on slider, three on the fastball.

— An ugly day of outfield defense was further scarred by six walks in the box score, several of them of five pitches or fewer. Marmol referred to them as “non-competitive” walks. Graceffo allowed three walks in his three innings. McGreevy walked one, and lefty reliever Packy Naughton could not land a pitch during one plate appearance for his lone walk.

— Walker, batting third, went one-forthree with single up the middle. He also legged out a groundball to avoid being a double play.

— Packy Naughton’s slider was up 6 mph from his average. Stay tuned.

— In his first game at shortstop this spring, DeJong did not have any plays to test his arm. He said it’s felt comfortable and he’s ready to play a bulk of the upcoming games. He struck out looking against Boyd and then hit two groundballs that resulted in outs. His swing continues to be more direct and under control, and he has been focusing on how he finishes the swing.