JUPITER, Fla. — And so Colby Rasmus and Joe Mather leap from the frying pan of the major-league camp into the fire, a free-for-all in the Memphis outfield.

When the two outfielders join the Triple-A team Wednesday for the first time this spring, they will see a scrum already underway for playing time at the Cardinals’ highest affiliate. As mentioned earlier today, Rasmus and Mather are locks for starting jobs with the Redbirds. That leaves only one other spot — to be won or shared. Apparently a couple minor leaguers got the memo:

• Amaury Marti, a righthanded hitter,  went 3-for-5 with two doubles off the center-field fence. One onlooker said Marti drilled the ball and it was surprising neither left the ballpark.
• Cody Haerther, a lefthanded hitter, answered with a 3-for-5 afternoon that included a double and an RBI. 

And, elsewhere, on the Vuch Report:

** Memphis 11, Albuquerque 3 **

– Lefty Jaime Garcia started, went three innings, allowed three hits and two runs (one earned) to go with a couple walks and two strikeouts. … Cory Rauschenberger was the winner after pitching four innings (three hits, one ER, 0 BB, 5 Ks). … Mark Worrell pitched a scoreless inning. Speaking of Worrell, it will be interesting to see how the Cardinals use the bullpen in Memphis, especially if it features Worrell, Chris Perez, Jason Motte and Hugo Castellanos. If the Cardinals want those relievers to get multiple-inning appearances — because they won’t be coming up to serve the one-inning, lockdown roles immediately — how will they be employed? Two-headed closer with Motte and Perez, perhaps?

– Josh Phelps homered.

** Carolina 3, Springfield 2 **

– Righthander P. J. Walters, the reigning organization pitcher of the year, went four scoreless innings, scattering five hits and offsetting one walk with five strikeouts.

– In relief, Mark McCormick pitched two-plus innings, allowed two hits and one earned run. He was … well, wild and up in the zone with pitches. McCormick walked four guys and struck out only one. His fastball hummed at 94 mph consistently and he touched 96 mph.

– Luke Gregerson, another of those relievers who is bounding toward the Memphis bullpen, pitched a perfect 1 1/3 innings with two strikeouts.

– An earlier blog entry today mentioned Bryan Anderson’s offense — one of the best lefthanded swings in the minor-league camp. The catcher went 2-for-4 on Tuesday. … Third baseman Allen Craig doubled.

** Palm Beach 11, Jupiter 3 **

– David Kopp, the 2007 draft pick, started and was the winner after throwing three scoreless, one-hit innings. The righthander walked two and struck out five, averaging 93 mph with his fastball and reaching 95 mph. … Over-the-top righthander Eddie Degerman pitched two scoreless innings.

– The Cardinals pounced on Florida starter Jeff Allison and guess who it was doing the damage. Name keeps coming up this spring: Daryl Jones. The former top-10 prospect cracked a three-run home run to right center off Allison. Nick Derba also had a two-run shot. Steve Hill homered.

– Tommy Pham had two  hits, including a double and an RBI. … Oliver Marmol tripled, walked and had two RBIs.

** Greensboro 2, Quad Cities #1 1 **

– D’Marcus Ingram singled, walked and had the lone RBI for Quad Cities. He’s not hitting .417.

– Pitching lines: Thomas Eager 3.1 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 Ks. Chuckie Fick 2.2 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 2 BB, 1 K. Eduardo Sanchez 2 IP,1 hit, 0 runs, 2 BB, 3 Ks. And, Jose Mateo got the loss after 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.

– Andrew Brown singled and walked, batting .500 this spring.

** Quad Cities #2 6, Marlins 5th 5 **

– The minor-leaguer who took Kyle Lohse to the wall during the simulated game Monday continued to rake. Matt Arburr went 2-for-3 with two runs and RBIs. Arburr was the only player to really make good contact against the Cardinals’ newest righthander, who will get a major-league test Saturday. 

– Will Groff went 2-for-4, pushing his average to .478 this spring (and it could be .500 if he gets a hit in his next at-bats). … Mateo Marquez went 2-for-3 with a walk.

– As for pitching: Brandon Garner went three no-hit innings, allowed on unearned run and struck out three. Josh Wilson pitched three innings, allowed three hits and two runs (one unearned) and he struck out two.

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