FORT LAUDERDALE — Cesar Izturis is the Cardinals starting shortstop and short of a catastrophic conclusion to what’s been a slow spring, he’ll continue to be the Cardinals starting shortstop right up until and after Opening Day.

The numbers say competition. The Cardinals say otherwise.

Izturis, who has two hits in his first three at-bats today against Baltimore, entered the game with more errors in the field (six) than hits at the plate (five). Contrast that with Brendan Ryan’s offensive pep, his .366 on-base percentage and his thriving in the No. 9 — as well as anyone, really — and it would seem that the second-year infielder is making a push to foil the veteran Izturis’ comeback as an everyday player.

Not so fast, manager Tony La Russa said this morning.

Ryan and Izturis were both on the trip to face Baltimore today, though Ryan was a late scratch from the bench because of a sore ribcage muscle. Izturis made the start and continued what La Russa has described as consistent improvement. It’s fair to question Izturis’ play, La Russa agreed, but not to question his place on the team.

The numbers were what they were. Six errors. Five hits.

“What bothers you most the errors or the hits?” La Russa asked the media this morning. “He’s playing very well defensively. So, the errors — I don’t have any problems with. If you’re going to evaluate people on the number of errors in spring training, over time you’re going to make a lot of mistakes. There’s some guys who can’t play, but not him. Hitting, I think he’s getting better.”

And defense is the real key here.

It’s clear that Izturis is one of the candidates to bat No. 9 and logic says the double leadoff only works when there’s a true on-base percentage player in that nine spot. La Russa contends it works as long as the hitter has a better chance to get on base than the pitcher, and that, he says, is always the case. (One might come up with a few exceptions.) Check the numbers:

Ryan … .278/.366/.389 … 36 AB … 3 BB/5 K

Izturis … .139/.184/.250 … 36 AB … Average up to .179 after 2nd hit today. 

But offense won’t decide who is the starting shortstop. Defense will.

That is where Izturis has the clear edge, the Cardinals say. Though Izturis, after he left Wednesday’s game, said his defense has been subpar.

Asked if he thinks he’s playing well in the field, Izturis said:

“No. No, not really. But that happens. I think it’s confidence. … I’ll keep working. It’s the little things, the little things. Today I felt good.”

Ryan has bounced around the infield, playing superbly at second and at third base. He is noticeably less consistent at shortstop, even though that is his natural position. Where Izturis has the errors — three from laying back on the ball; two from rushing for the hop; and one was a tough scoring call – Ryan’s best defensive games (and he’s had several) have come at the other positions. At third, Ryan has been slick. At shortstop, La Russa called Ryan “erratic.” That’s a charged word. But Ryan does play the position he’s knows best a little loose.

“He’s trying to survive so much at third, I think, that he’s just trying to catch it,” La Russa said. “At second, he’s really more controlled a lot, making plays there.”

With two hits already today Izturis has made his plus-minus look a bit better, and he has a week of games remaining to tighten up his defensive play, too. The Cardinals stance on their shortstop won’t change in those days.

Izturis is the starter. But Ryan is a major-leaguer.

More on the new Cardinals shortstop coming in the paper.

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Chris Duncan homered in his first at-bat in Wednesday’s major-league game, his first home run of spring and an end to a hitless streak that had surpassed 20 at-bats and lasted the entire month of March. The homer came after homering and hitting a double in his minor-league at-bats back in Jupiter this morning, according to teammates.

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Brad Thompson was impressive in his first Grapefruit League start, holding the Orioles to four hits and two runs in 4 1/3 innings. He walked none and struck out two. One of the runs that scored on the righthander came in after he left the game. When he went to the dugout, pitching coach Dave Duncan walked down from his perch to greet him with a enthusiastic pat on the back.

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No doubt Albert Pujols has been locked in this spring. The game wasn’t even halfway finished this afternoon and already Pujols was out of the game with a home run, a single, two runs scored and three RBIs.

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The lineup colleague Joe “Chatman” Strauss presented in the paper today differs in only one spot from the lineup I would guess for Opening Day:

2. Brian Barton, LF.

While it’s entirely plausible — and highly possible — that La Russa will side with experience and go with Ryan Ludwick over Barton against Colorado lefty Jeff Francis, Barton has just played too darn much in that spot recently for it to go unnoticed. He was batting No. 2 on Wednesday, as the designated hitter, no less, and as long as Chris Duncan’s swing is off a platoon in left (or even a rotation) is likely.

La Russa has gone with the Skip Schumaker-Barton atop the lineup against lefties for the last week, and nothing happens by accident in the skipper’s spring.

With Barton having no track record in the majors and Schumaker having relatively little for a player about to make his third consecutive Opening Day roster, here’s a check of their splits from the minors last season (and Schumaker’s career):

• Barton

  • vs. LH at Akron (AA): .313/.409/.404 … in 99 AB

  • vs. RH at Akron (AA): .312/.419/.453 … in 285 AB

  • vs. LH at Buffalo (AAA): .217/.250/.217 … in 23 AB

  • vs. RH at Buffalo (AAA): .283/.368/.367 … in 60 AB

• Schumaker

  • vs. LH at Memphis (AAA): .288/.333/.342 … in 73 AB

  • vs. RH at Memphis (AAA): .316/.402/.529 … in 155 AB

  • vs. LH MLB career: .286/.359/.286 … in 35 AB

  • But 24 of those at-bats came in 2007, when he hit .375/.464/.375

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You can take the infielder out of the game, but not the game out of the infielder: La Russa got an ovation in the second inning Wednesday when he slickly removed his cap in time and used it to snagged a fouled-off grounder from Ludwick. It’s a move he makes every so often, deftly.

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One of the finest players in the young-outfielder boon that is the Grapefruit League has been Baltimore’s Adam Jones. The jewel of the Eric Bedard trade with Seattle, Jones has been every bit the player billed: Smooth in the field and striking with the bat as he’s taken over the starting center field job for the Orioles. A couple weeks ago the blog discussed the windfall of center field talent in the 2005 draft and how six of the outfielders taken in that first round were getting a showcase this spring.

Add Jones, who was taken in 2003’s first round, to the list and check out the performances around Florida this spring:

• Cameron Maybin, FLA … .235/.257/.559 … 34 AB … 3 HR. Has made his case to start the season with the Marlins, if not as the center fielder than it won’t be long before he is. 

• Andrew McCutchen, PIT … .235/.297/.294 … 34 AB … 11 times on base.

• Jay Bruce, CIN … .262/.279/.286 … 42 AB … 11 K, 1 BB. He’s had a team-high at-bats, which reveals how much the Reds want him in the majors. Right. Now. Not expected to spend all that long in center.

• Trevor Crowe, CLE … .292/.346/.333 … 24 AB. Check back later.

• Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS … .225/.289/.373 … 40 AB … four extra-base hits. Another team-leader in at-bats as postseason standout secures starting job and certain immortality at The Fens. Cue the Dropkick Murphys.

• Colby Rasmus, STL … .273/.467/.515 … 33 AB … League-best 12 walks. Wasn’t that he didn’t play well enough to stick around and even to go north, but the Cardinals had others play strong (read: Schumaker) and can give Rasmus some time to ripen in Triple-A. He’ll be up soon.

• And Jones.

Jones entered Wednesday’s game with a .344/.400/.563 line in 32 at-bats . He has 18 total bases, eight coming on four doubles. He had a start to spring training that will sound familiar to folks who watched a certain Cardinals’ outfield prospect. Jones stumbled and junked two fly balls in his first scrimmage. He was doubled off first in the same game and was hit by a groundball. Turned it around quick. 

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Was clicking around for information on the Orioles today, and I’m not sure if there’s some kind of complaint that should be filed about their slogan this season.

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