Lineup: Rasmus stands alone
JUPITER, Fla. — One of the spring training factoids we follow every March — with the help of the Cardinals’ media relations staff — is who is the last Cardinal not to appear in a game. It’s in-house nickname: Cardinals “Survivor”.
Last year Miguel Negron might have set a record with a double-digit streak.
(The research staff is still looking into certifying his record.)
This year: Colby Rasmus wins. And it’s only the sixth game.
Ubiquitous uber-prospect Rasmus is on the bus that’s pulling out of the parking lot right now, and he’ll start in center field and bat leadoff for the Cardinals against Baltimore at Fort Lauderdale this afternoon. He and catcher Mark Johnson had the only active survivor streaks, and Rasmus wins by default because Johnson is not going on this road trip.
The real test is ahead. Wednesday there is a doubleheader.
He’s scheduled to play in the night game.
Negron, like the ‘72 Dolphins, appears out of reach for another spring.
The Cardinals (2-3)
- Colby Rasmus, CF
- Joe Mather, LF
- Juan Gonzalez, DH
- Josh Phelps, 1B
- Yadier Molina, C
- Brian Barton, RF
- Cesar Izturis, SS
- Brian Barden, 3B
- Brendan Ryan, 2B
Starting pitcher: RHP Anthony Reyes. Followed possibly by: RHP Kelvin Jimenez; RHP Jason Motte; RHP Mark Worrell; RHP Hugo Castellanos; RHP Clayton Mortensen; RHP Chris Perez; RHP P.J. Walters.
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
Derrick:
Thanks for the great info, as per usual. As I’m watching the infield lottery, could you please break down the number of innings per position guys like Ryan, Miles, Kennedy, Izturis, etc. are getting? I haven’t been able to track all of the substitution innings guys are getting very well, but it looks like Ryan is getting more PT than any of the other MIs since he’s played quite a bit at third coming off the bench.
Jon,
Fine question. It’s a little beyond my means. A secret about spring training: We, the reporters, miss the middle innings because that’s when our access is to the starting pitcher and, often, the starting players. That is why the blog will be posted at or near the end of the game with fresh quotes from the starting pitcher. We miss a lot of the swaps, too.
A good way to judge is PA, which is available via the stats on MLB.com or other sites.
dg
Aren’t teams supposed to travel with 4 “bona fides” in the starting lineup? I suppose, if you really stretch it out, Yadi, Izturis, Ryan & Reyes are the 4. Glad I didn’t fly down to see that lineup!
Thanks for the info DG. They’re showing the substitutions on MLB Gameday, so I might take an evening and do some digging, see what I can come up with. Enjoy the weather down there, it’s 20 degrees and snowing buckets here.