THE GLADES — Talk about multi-tasking. As only a Hall of Famer can, Rick Hummel is driving us across central Florida, while making a radio appearance (unless, that is, he has friends who call him to breakdown the option rules on Anthony Reyes and the backhand plays of Cesar Izturis). I have the laptop out and am cranking away, tethered even this far off the Interstate to the Internet.
This kind of coverage takes creativity.
While making the trip to Ft. Myers, Fla., for this afternoon’s game against Minnesota, thought it would be good to file a belated Vuch Report and start another day of coverage here at the blog. And, speaking of creativity: The Cardinals had to with their minor-league games Sunday because of the threat of rain. The Jupiter area was under clouds and soggy most of the day, so coaches Mike Shildt, Dyar Miller and Derek Lilliquist came up with a way to keep their pitchers on schedule.
Instead of playing the planned four games, the Cardinals had to race to St. Lucie to avoid the rain, and the Mets had only three fields available. The trio of coaches doctored the schedule, shifting the games to 11, 12, and 12 innings.
This close to the start of the regular season a day lost to weather “would have been a big setback,” wrote John Vuch, the Cardinals director of minor-league operations in an email. Quick thinking assured that no innings were lost and no pitchers had a rain delay in their preparation.
(Note: The lineup and standard Bird Land fare will return today once we arrive in Ft. Myers. Still driving State Highway 20.)
Some moments from the inventively long games:
** Memphis lost to New Orleans, 12-6 (played 11 innings) **
– Memphis led 2-1 after six innings. … Lefty Jaime Garcia put the Triple-A Cardinals in position to win before his relievers botched the lead. Garcia pitched five innings and allowed three hits and one earned run. … Former first-round pick Dewon Brazelton could repeat his dazzle from his previous start, allowing seven hits and five earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. He did strike out three. … Cory Rauschenberger also stumbled in his two innings, allowing seven hits and five earned runs.
– Thomas Eager worked two scoreless innings, striking out two against one hit.
– Before coming over to the big-league game to crack a two-run home run, his third in major-league games this spring, Colby Rasmus went 1-for-3 with Memphis. … Starting second baseman Jarrett Hoffpauir went 3-for-6, and Joe Mather hit two doubles. … Rico Washington, who is coming west with the team to Ft. Myers, also doubled. … Mike Folli hit a two-run triple.
** Springfield lost to Binghamton, 5-4 (played 12 innings) **
– P. J. Walters worked five innings, allowing two hits and two runs (one earned). He walked two and struck out six. … Stu Pomeranz followed with 1 1/2 innings. Binghamton scored twice on three hits of Pomeranz. … Closer prospect Ken Maiques and Jonathan Mikrut each threw one scoreless inning. … Brandon Garner threw three innings, allowed one hit and one run while striking out a batter.
– Luke Gorsett, the cellist in the Gorsett Quartet, went 2-for-4 with a HR and 2 RBIs. He had a strong year last season, starting with Quad Cities and it will be interesting to see if he gets the chance to leap to Double-A this season and what that does to the Cardinals increasing depth at outfield. … Most recent first-round pick Peter Kozma was 1-for-2. … Allen Craig singled, walked and had an RBI. … Big year ahead for shortstop Tyler Greene, who not only has to prove he can stay healthy but that he can produce when he’s healthy. Greene, taken right after Rasmus, was 1-for-3 with a run scored. … Justin Roberson had a RBI single in his only at-bat.
** Palm Beach defeated St. Lucie 7-3 (played 12 innings) **
– Righthander Mike McCormick got the win with a strong line. He pitched five scoreless innings, allowed two hits, struck out four and — most impressive of all for the wild-fire thrower — did not walk a batter. … David Kopp pitched four innings, allowed three hits and two runs (one earned). He struck out two. … Chuckie Fick threw two innings in relief, allowed two hits, one run and walked one. … Pete Parise tossed a perfect inning.
– Tony Cruz, who continues to see ample playing time at catcher, went 2-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBIs. Cruz is the third baseman who burst into Quad Cities last season after refusing to settle at two lower levels. Early this spring, I told a fellow scribe that I wouldn’t be surprised if Cruz was the surprise invite to big-league camp a year from now. Guess that’s big of a bogus prediction if he makes this transition to catcher successfully. His position will net him that invite. So how’s this: With that bat at that position, he’s going to rapidly scale the organization’s top prospect list.
– Daniel Descalso went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. … Steve Hill, who was supposed to expand his prospect resume with time at catcher ala Cruz, and Nick Derba, a catcher, each doubled, walked and scored.
– The Daily Daryl: Lapsed top-10 prospect Daryl Jones went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
– Donovan Solano was 2-for-2 with a double and RBI. … D’Marcus Ingram, who is turning up in these reports often enough to start appearing in the tag cloud on the right there, and Jonathan Edwards were each 1-for-2.
***
This is the third spring of the Vuch Report, an exclusive feature of Bird Land. Each day John Vuch, the Cardinals director of minor league operations, harvests statistics and notes from the game reports and scorebooks of the minor-league games played on the back fields. The numbers are his, the comments are mine.
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