Notes: Daubach battles for roster spot
03/12/2006
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With three weeks still left to go before Opening Day, Brian Daubach's chances of making the Cardinals roster are still up for debate.
But with six hits in his first 15 at-bats, Daubach has forced the Redbirds to consider him as a candidate to back up Albert Pujols; reason enough for the 34-year-old Belleville, Ill., native to smile.
"When you come to a new team and you're a non-roster guy, you've got to get off to a good start," said Daubach, who has homered twice and doubled twice in his last three games.
Once a mainstay in the Boston Red Sox lineup, Daubach has seen action only sparingly at the Major League level in the last few years. He starred last season at Triple-A Norfolk in the International League, leading the Mets organization with a .325 average, but was given only a brief look with the big-league club.
Even after regular first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz went down to injury, manager Willie Randolph instead gave playing time to veteran utility men such as Marlon Anderson and Chris Woodward, before finally settling on rookie Mike Jacobs to play down the stretch.
Jacobs hit 11 home runs in 100 at-bats, clearing the way for a trade to the Florida Marlins over the winter. And Daubach? He couldn't even get a September callup, calling the campaign "a wasted season."
"It was pretty disappointing," Daubach said, "because I'm somewhat proven. I've had some good years. For whatever reason, I didn't get that chance, so you just move on."
When Daubach left the Red Sox for the Chicago White Sox after the 2002 season, he scraped for playing time behind Paul Konerko and Frank Thomas. Returning to Boston in 2004, the Sox had things well in hand as they progressed toward their World Series win, snapping an 86-year title drought. And the Mets seemed to have no need for Daubach's services.
"But I haven't burned any bridges," Daubach said. "I want to stay in baseball long after my playing days. Sometimes there are hard situations to deal with, but you've just got to do the best you can. Sometimes biting your tongue is the best thing you can do."
He's hoping things turn around in St. Louis, where he will try to impress manager Tony La Russa enough to plead his case to become the Cards' left-handed bat off the bench and an option at first base or a corner outfield position.
"I'm just hoping I'll get an opportunity here," Daubach said. "Last year, I never really got comfortable. I'm the kind of guy who likes having a good time with my teammates, joking around with the guys and keeping guys loose."
Suppan looks super: Right-hander Jeff Suppan pitched well in his third start of the spring, limiting the Braves to a run on four hits over four innings. He said a major focus of his effort was to control his rhythm and stay consistent with his mechanics.
"I tried to really pick up my pace a little bit and go out and make pitches," Suppan said. "I went out with all my pitches today, including my cutter. I thought that was a big plus for me."
Suppan said he felt his location was better Sunday than it was in his first two starts of the spring, when he allowed nine runs to the Mets on March 2 and three runs to the Dodgers on March 7.
"He's a location and change of speeds pitcher," said pitching coach Dave Duncan. "It takes a little time during the spring to get all of your pitches going and get comfortable with them. He's doing good."
Later, the hurler laughingly reflected upon once enduring a season-long 0-for-44 slump, though he may be off to a better start in 2006. La Russa called a hit-and-run in Suppan's first at-bat of the spring, and Suppan delivered a single to center off Atlanta starter Chuck James in the third inning.
Suppan then had to run the bases, eventually making it to third base in a two-run Cardinals frame before taking the mound again in the fourth.
"Today was a good test," Suppan said.
It is the NL, after all: Cardinals pitchers will have plenty of chances to go through just what Suppan did on Saturday. La Russa said that St. Louis will opt to play by National League rules every chance they get for the remainder of Spring Training.
"Pitchers should get at least one at-bat," La Russa said.
Hello, Mateo: Rule 5 draftee Juan Mateo made his first appearance of the spring on Saturday, recording the final two outs of the sixth inning. Though it was just a sample, both La Russa and Duncan said they could see why the Cardinals drafted him.
The Cardinals had been reportedly unimpressed by the condition in which Mateo reported to camp, but he looked fine in getting Pete Orr to line out and Martin Prado to pop out.
"He shows you a good, live arm," Duncan said. "For what we're asking him to do, he's in shape to do that, as long as we don't push him."
Left out: The only Cardinals pitcher who came away from Saturday with a negative performance was Braden Looper, who allowed a three-run homer to Edgar Renteria and took the loss in St. Louis' 4-3 defeat.
"He made a mistake pitch and a clutch hitter took advantage," La Russa said. "He did some good things and then he made a mistake."
Duncan said the problem for Looper, who faced six batters and allowed four hits, is not velocity -- the scoreboard at Wide World of Sports flashed as high as 94 mph during Looper's two-out stint in the fifth inning.
Instead, Duncan said Looper must take care to resist throwing from directly over the top. When Looper is further down into an almost three-quarters arm slot, it improves his sinker, slider and split-finger pitch.
"He's not locating the ball where he needs to locate the ball," Duncan said.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With three weeks still left to go before Opening Day, Brian Daubach's chances of making the Cardinals roster are still up for debate.
But with six hits in his first 15 at-bats, Daubach has forced the Redbirds to consider him as a candidate to back up Albert Pujols; reason enough for the 34-year-old Belleville, Ill., native to smile.
"When you come to a new team and you're a non-roster guy, you've got to get off to a good start," said Daubach, who has homered twice and doubled twice in his last three games.
Once a mainstay in the Boston Red Sox lineup, Daubach has seen action only sparingly at the Major League level in the last few years. He starred last season at Triple-A Norfolk in the International League, leading the Mets organization with a .325 average, but was given only a brief look with the big-league club.
Even after regular first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz went down to injury, manager Willie Randolph instead gave playing time to veteran utility men such as Marlon Anderson and Chris Woodward, before finally settling on rookie Mike Jacobs to play down the stretch.
Jacobs hit 11 home runs in 100 at-bats, clearing the way for a trade to the Florida Marlins over the winter. And Daubach? He couldn't even get a September callup, calling the campaign "a wasted season."
"It was pretty disappointing," Daubach said, "because I'm somewhat proven. I've had some good years. For whatever reason, I didn't get that chance, so you just move on."
When Daubach left the Red Sox for the Chicago White Sox after the 2002 season, he scraped for playing time behind Paul Konerko and Frank Thomas. Returning to Boston in 2004, the Sox had things well in hand as they progressed toward their World Series win, snapping an 86-year title drought. And the Mets seemed to have no need for Daubach's services.
"But I haven't burned any bridges," Daubach said. "I want to stay in baseball long after my playing days. Sometimes there are hard situations to deal with, but you've just got to do the best you can. Sometimes biting your tongue is the best thing you can do."
He's hoping things turn around in St. Louis, where he will try to impress manager Tony La Russa enough to plead his case to become the Cards' left-handed bat off the bench and an option at first base or a corner outfield position.
"I'm just hoping I'll get an opportunity here," Daubach said. "Last year, I never really got comfortable. I'm the kind of guy who likes having a good time with my teammates, joking around with the guys and keeping guys loose."
Suppan looks super: Right-hander Jeff Suppan pitched well in his third start of the spring, limiting the Braves to a run on four hits over four innings. He said a major focus of his effort was to control his rhythm and stay consistent with his mechanics.
"I tried to really pick up my pace a little bit and go out and make pitches," Suppan said. "I went out with all my pitches today, including my cutter. I thought that was a big plus for me."
Suppan said he felt his location was better Sunday than it was in his first two starts of the spring, when he allowed nine runs to the Mets on March 2 and three runs to the Dodgers on March 7.
"He's a location and change of speeds pitcher," said pitching coach Dave Duncan. "It takes a little time during the spring to get all of your pitches going and get comfortable with them. He's doing good."
Later, the hurler laughingly reflected upon once enduring a season-long 0-for-44 slump, though he may be off to a better start in 2006. La Russa called a hit-and-run in Suppan's first at-bat of the spring, and Suppan delivered a single to center off Atlanta starter Chuck James in the third inning.
Suppan then had to run the bases, eventually making it to third base in a two-run Cardinals frame before taking the mound again in the fourth.
"Today was a good test," Suppan said.
It is the NL, after all: Cardinals pitchers will have plenty of chances to go through just what Suppan did on Saturday. La Russa said that St. Louis will opt to play by National League rules every chance they get for the remainder of Spring Training.
"Pitchers should get at least one at-bat," La Russa said.
Hello, Mateo: Rule 5 draftee Juan Mateo made his first appearance of the spring on Saturday, recording the final two outs of the sixth inning. Though it was just a sample, both La Russa and Duncan said they could see why the Cardinals drafted him.
The Cardinals had been reportedly unimpressed by the condition in which Mateo reported to camp, but he looked fine in getting Pete Orr to line out and Martin Prado to pop out.
"He shows you a good, live arm," Duncan said. "For what we're asking him to do, he's in shape to do that, as long as we don't push him."
Left out: The only Cardinals pitcher who came away from Saturday with a negative performance was Braden Looper, who allowed a three-run homer to Edgar Renteria and took the loss in St. Louis' 4-3 defeat.
"He made a mistake pitch and a clutch hitter took advantage," La Russa said. "He did some good things and then he made a mistake."
Duncan said the problem for Looper, who faced six batters and allowed four hits, is not velocity -- the scoreboard at Wide World of Sports flashed as high as 94 mph during Looper's two-out stint in the fifth inning.
Instead, Duncan said Looper must take care to resist throwing from directly over the top. When Looper is further down into an almost three-quarters arm slot, it improves his sinker, slider and split-finger pitch.
"He's not locating the ball where he needs to locate the ball," Duncan said.
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
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