Notes: Cards shuffle spring rotation
03/15/2006
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Cardinals will tweak their rotation over the coming days in order to make sure that all of their fifth-starter candidates get one more start before the competition wraps up.
Sidney Ponson and Anthony Reyes have been pitching on the same day, with one starting and one relieving, but that setup is no longer workable as each man has upped his expected pitch count. Similarly, Adam Wainwright can no longer get all of his work in on the same day as Mark Mulder -- Wainwright has been pitching in relief on the days Mulder starts.
So the Cardinals will make some accommodations. Wainwright, originally slated to pitch on Wednesday against Florida, will start Thursday against Baltimore. Thursday's previously scheduled starter, Jason Marquis, will pitch for Triple-A Memphis instead.
Ponson will make his regular turn on Sunday. Reyes will be pushed back a day to pitch Monday against Atlanta and Mulder's next start will come in a Triple-A game on Monday.
"With three guys, it was OK to split games, but now it's getting to where it's tougher," said manager Tony La Russa. "And you don't get the experience of starting the game. Anthony's had one of them, Adam's had none of them."
Whither Ankiel? Depending on whom you ask, Rick Ankiel is either still progressing well from his patellar tendon strain or he needs to be backed off a bit. Ankiel remains cautiously optimistic, but La Russa said Thursday that Ankiel will be held back.
"He was going to be in [a simulated game] today and had to be scratched because of the medical evaluation," said the manager.
"He's got a partial patellar tendon tear, right? So the prognosis about when he could play without rupturing it is really uncertain, and we don't want to push him to where he ruptures it, and if he had surgery he's out for the year. So he's really in a tough spot. He's taking BP, but he can't jump and can't run."
That was news to Ankiel, who said he did light running on Tuesday and expects to do so again on Thursday.
"He must be on a different page, because I jogged yesterday and everything was fine," said Ankiel. "So I don't know."
"It just seems to be getting better. Yesterday I did my running and everything was fine. Today it felt good, tomorrow I'll run again, Friday I'll run again."
Hanson plays: Travis Hanson, recovering from an internal parasite that sapped him of strength and caused him to lose 12 pounds, took the field on Wednesday for the first time in more than a week.
Hanson took at-bats in a morning simulated game. He said he felt heavily taxed to be back on the field.
"I felt like I had nothing on my throws, nothing on my bat," he said. "It's just going to be a slow process to get back, but oh well. I just got sent down, so I can take my time down there and not rush it."
Hanson was optioned to the Minors following Wednesday's game.
More moves: The Cardinals intended to make several other cuts on Wednesday, but two of the players left before La Russa was able to talk with them. He confirmed that Hanson was sent out, and that John Webb was re-assigned to Minor League camp, but did not divulge additional names.
More seasoning: Chris Duncan has been the most impressive hitter in camp to date, but he won't break camp with the Major League team. Duncan, 24, has four home runs and four doubles, including a long ball off Randy Johnson on Tuesday in Tampa.
"He won't make this team," said La Russa. "He's a guy that's taking the extra at-bats, and I think it's been really good for him and us, but he's working at a new position and the guys ahead of him [need to play]. I'm not going to put him on the bench [to be a] part-time player."
Duncan came up as a first baseman, but that job is blocked by Albert Pujols, so the Cards have been working him in the outfield. The plan is for Duncan to return to the Minors for another year of getting regular at-bats and playing the field.
"He will play in the big leagues," La Russa said. "When? I don't know."
Mulder cruises: Mulder continued his breeze through Spring Training on Wednesday with four solid innings. Mulder held the Marlins to one run on four hits, striking out two and not issuing a walk. Through three starts, he's permitted two runs in 10 2/3 innings (1.69 ERA) with six strikeouts and two walks.
"I think I'm where I want to be, especially physically," he said. "I wasn't tired at all in the fourth inning. I didn't feel as good today as I did my first two starts, but I had a great curveball today, throwing it for strikes."
Bits and pieces: Minor League Spring Training games began on Wednesday with five games between Cardinals farmhands and their Marlins counterparts. ... Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells, a friend of La Russa's, dropped by camp for a visit on Wednesday. ... The Cardinals will don green uniforms and caps for Friday, which is St. Patrick's Day. ... The Cardinals played before 30,112 fans over their three-game road trip to Orlando and Tampa. ... Brian Daubach homered in two different Minor League games on Wednesday. Daubach played for both Triple-A Memphis and Double-A Springfield in order to get some extra at-bats.
Quotable: "Coming in out of the bullpen, it's very important to keep the ball on the ground, and if you can do that and you can stay ahead in the count, you're going to have a chance to make this club." -- Alan Benes
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Cardinals will tweak their rotation over the coming days in order to make sure that all of their fifth-starter candidates get one more start before the competition wraps up.
Sidney Ponson and Anthony Reyes have been pitching on the same day, with one starting and one relieving, but that setup is no longer workable as each man has upped his expected pitch count. Similarly, Adam Wainwright can no longer get all of his work in on the same day as Mark Mulder -- Wainwright has been pitching in relief on the days Mulder starts.
So the Cardinals will make some accommodations. Wainwright, originally slated to pitch on Wednesday against Florida, will start Thursday against Baltimore. Thursday's previously scheduled starter, Jason Marquis, will pitch for Triple-A Memphis instead.
Ponson will make his regular turn on Sunday. Reyes will be pushed back a day to pitch Monday against Atlanta and Mulder's next start will come in a Triple-A game on Monday.
"With three guys, it was OK to split games, but now it's getting to where it's tougher," said manager Tony La Russa. "And you don't get the experience of starting the game. Anthony's had one of them, Adam's had none of them."
Whither Ankiel? Depending on whom you ask, Rick Ankiel is either still progressing well from his patellar tendon strain or he needs to be backed off a bit. Ankiel remains cautiously optimistic, but La Russa said Thursday that Ankiel will be held back.
"He was going to be in [a simulated game] today and had to be scratched because of the medical evaluation," said the manager.
"He's got a partial patellar tendon tear, right? So the prognosis about when he could play without rupturing it is really uncertain, and we don't want to push him to where he ruptures it, and if he had surgery he's out for the year. So he's really in a tough spot. He's taking BP, but he can't jump and can't run."
That was news to Ankiel, who said he did light running on Tuesday and expects to do so again on Thursday.
"He must be on a different page, because I jogged yesterday and everything was fine," said Ankiel. "So I don't know."
"It just seems to be getting better. Yesterday I did my running and everything was fine. Today it felt good, tomorrow I'll run again, Friday I'll run again."
Hanson plays: Travis Hanson, recovering from an internal parasite that sapped him of strength and caused him to lose 12 pounds, took the field on Wednesday for the first time in more than a week.
Hanson took at-bats in a morning simulated game. He said he felt heavily taxed to be back on the field.
"I felt like I had nothing on my throws, nothing on my bat," he said. "It's just going to be a slow process to get back, but oh well. I just got sent down, so I can take my time down there and not rush it."
Hanson was optioned to the Minors following Wednesday's game.
More moves: The Cardinals intended to make several other cuts on Wednesday, but two of the players left before La Russa was able to talk with them. He confirmed that Hanson was sent out, and that John Webb was re-assigned to Minor League camp, but did not divulge additional names.
More seasoning: Chris Duncan has been the most impressive hitter in camp to date, but he won't break camp with the Major League team. Duncan, 24, has four home runs and four doubles, including a long ball off Randy Johnson on Tuesday in Tampa.
"He won't make this team," said La Russa. "He's a guy that's taking the extra at-bats, and I think it's been really good for him and us, but he's working at a new position and the guys ahead of him [need to play]. I'm not going to put him on the bench [to be a] part-time player."
Duncan came up as a first baseman, but that job is blocked by Albert Pujols, so the Cards have been working him in the outfield. The plan is for Duncan to return to the Minors for another year of getting regular at-bats and playing the field.
"He will play in the big leagues," La Russa said. "When? I don't know."
Mulder cruises: Mulder continued his breeze through Spring Training on Wednesday with four solid innings. Mulder held the Marlins to one run on four hits, striking out two and not issuing a walk. Through three starts, he's permitted two runs in 10 2/3 innings (1.69 ERA) with six strikeouts and two walks.
"I think I'm where I want to be, especially physically," he said. "I wasn't tired at all in the fourth inning. I didn't feel as good today as I did my first two starts, but I had a great curveball today, throwing it for strikes."
Bits and pieces: Minor League Spring Training games began on Wednesday with five games between Cardinals farmhands and their Marlins counterparts. ... Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells, a friend of La Russa's, dropped by camp for a visit on Wednesday. ... The Cardinals will don green uniforms and caps for Friday, which is St. Patrick's Day. ... The Cardinals played before 30,112 fans over their three-game road trip to Orlando and Tampa. ... Brian Daubach homered in two different Minor League games on Wednesday. Daubach played for both Triple-A Memphis and Double-A Springfield in order to get some extra at-bats.
Quotable: "Coming in out of the bullpen, it's very important to keep the ball on the ground, and if you can do that and you can stay ahead in the count, you're going to have a chance to make this club." -- Alan Benes
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
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