JUPITER, Fla. • One Cardinals pitching prospect is eager to hold the spot on the depth chart he's earned. Another is trying to reclaim the one he had. Both know their opportunity this spring is limited by the major-league staff above them.
Class AAA starter Lance Lynn and Adam Ottavino have completed their first rounds against hitters this spring, competing essentially for status quo because the Cardinals have all five rotation spots filled in the majors. Lynn could turn a strong spring into a spot as the team's insurance in case of injury, or the so-called No. 6 starter. Ottavino, back from shoulder injury, has a more blunt goal.
"I'm just trying to pitch as well as I can," the righthander said after his live batting practice session Monday. "Hopefully they still remember I exist."
Lynn, 23, went 13-10 with a 4.77 ERA in 29 starts for Class AAA Memphis last season. He did not miss a start, and he closed with a Memphis-record 13 strikeouts in his playoff start. Lynn, a supplemental-round pick in 2008, showed the improved command and durability that has the Cardinals viewing him as their alternate starter, set to be groomed for the role in a return to Memphis.
Manager Tony La Russa called spring his chance to 'showcase."
"The important thing they can do here is get themselves ready because it's going to come down to who is pitching the best if there's a need," the manager said. "(Pitching coach Dave Duncan) is going to be watching every throw. Showcasing that here it is 2011 and I've got better command, my stuff is good enough. It's a competition."
There are a handful of pitchers angling for that No. 6 spot, including P.J. Walters, who filled the role some in 2010, and Ian Snell, a former starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lynn, a strapping righty with a good sinking fastball, could "make an impression," as Duncan said, in case the team needs more than just a spot starter.
"For me to get a chance to go back to Memphis and not be put in a tough situation is good for me," Lynn said. "So that I know when I do get (to the majors), I'll know I'm ready because they think I'm ready. They don't have to push me to make me ready."
Ottavino, 25, a former first-round pick, made three starts in the majors last season before shoulder soreness shelved him for the second half of the year. The Cardinals experimented with him as a reliever last spring, though La Russa sternly said the righty will be a starter this year. He put himself in the majors mix with a strong spring last year, and La Russa said that for him to do the same this year it would hinge on command.
"Hey, it's opportunity, man," La Russa said. "At some point you've got to be the guy in the competition where it's, 'Whoa! Look at him.'"
LA RUSSA ON BAUR
La Russa recalled first meeting Drew Baur as he organized the group that would go on to purchase the Cardinals 15 years ago. La Russa was struck then as he was every time since by Baur's outsized personality. The manager said he was shocked Sunday to learn of Baur's death that morning.
"He was one of the neatest guys in the ownership group, very smart, but so personable," La Russa said Monday morning. "Loved the Cardinals. Loved to have a good time. … He was one of the guys you enjoyed. Even when we had some tough times, with him it wasn't win or lose or win or tie, he was support. He stood out."
WAINwright vs. HOLLIDAY
Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright's goal during his first round of live batting practice was to "command my heater." He made one exception. Teammate Matt Holliday was going to see a changeup at some point in his at-bat, because last spring Holliday ripped Wainwright's changeup for a home run, and the righthander hadn't forgotten.
"I tease him (saying) it's because he has a slow bat and he was able to keep it in the zone to get a down-and-in changeup," Wainwright said. "I set it up with three good heaters away in a row. … I bounced it too low. He said he would have hit it out if it was a little higher. I say he would have whiffed it. It will continue for another year."
Wainwright is scheduled to start the Cardinals' Grapefruit League opener Monday, and that puts him on turn to be the club's opening-day starter. La Russa declined to confirm the appointment. The Cardinals have flexibility in the schedule to rearrange the rotation before opening March 31.
EXTRA BASES
Nick Punto (groin) participated in workouts Monday, though La Russa insisted that he "practice under control." Punto's appointment for a team physician to gauge the severity of his injury was postponed from Monday to today. … Chris Carpenter is among the pitchers who will face hitters today for the first time this spring. … Third baseman David Freese hit a home run off closer Ryan Franklin during their contest in Franklin's first round of live batting practice.
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