JUPITER, Fla. — Young righthander Fernando Salas was throwing his first round of live batting practice this spring and some of the veterans stepping in against him were taking swings as if they had seen him dozens of times before. Catcher Jason LaRue was in the group that hit off Salas, and after drilling a fastball over the fence in left field he explained why as he stepped out of the cage.

“That’s what happens when you know what’s coming,” LaRue said.

One of the best places to be this early in spring training is near the batting cage for live batting practice, the second step pitchers take in their build-up for game appearances. On Wednesday at Roger Dean Stadium, the Cardinals held their first rounds of live batting practice. Blake Hawksworth was the first on the mound, followed by Clayton Mortensen, Royce Ring, Salas, Francisco Samuel and then Shaun Garceau. They threw to a rotating bunch of hitters that offered up some of the following matchups:

• Albert Pujols vs. Hawksworth
• Rick Ankiel vs. Mortensen
• Brett Wallace vs. Salas
• Colby Rasmus vs. Ring
• and, Brendan Ryan vs. Samuel (more on that in a moment)

On Thursday, the first wave of major-league starters will throw their first live batting practice, including sessions for Kyle Lohse, Joel Pineiro, Kyle McClellan and for reliever Chris Perez. Live BP allows for the front office and riffraff like the media types to gather around the batting cage and watch the interaction of coaches and pitchers, pitchers and players and vets with rookies. It’s also where several Cardinal pitchers and catchers will eagle-eye their teammate and try to decode the tips. That’s what Salas was doing. That’s why LaRue took him deep. Of course, the fastball is also Salas’ most refined pitch.

Using the fine video from P-D camera jockey Erik Lunsford, here is what it looks like from a hitters point of view (starring first-round pick Wallace as he stands in against Salas):

***

Pitchers will usually throw about 20 or 25 pitches this first time through Live BP. Gradually they increase the number of pitches and also alternate turns on the mound to simulate innings. From Live BP, pitchers advance to appear in games. This is what it looks like for the pitcher (featuring Salas):

***

The pitcher who threw first may have thrown best for the day. Hawksworth, who has seen his sun rise and burn bright as a prospect only to set after injuries and inconsistent performance (he struggled in Triple-A last season), drew compliments for his aggressive approach in his Live BP this spring. Gifted with a plus changeup, Hawksworth has thrown more assertively with his fastball this spring and was in command of the strike zone against the hitters today.

“He’s been throwing the ball well,” pitching coach Dave Duncan said. “Best I’ve ever seen him throw is this spring. It looks like he has more confidence. He’s being more aggressive. The quality of his pitches is better. He seems to have better velocity.”

Same cannot be said for some of the younger guys pitching today. Nerves. Newness. Something had a few of them rattled during their first Live BP. Samuel, most of all. The smooth delivery and easy velocity that he showed during bullpen sessions was not there. He was all over the strike zone — spiking fastballs in the dirt, misfiring fastballs high. The velocity was there. Not the command. And, not the ease either. Ryan didn’t take a swing until Samuel had thrown him two fastballs on the edge of the strike zone — one that sank and a better one that cut back into the zone.

On Samuel’s final pitch of his session, Ryan drilled a line drive right back at the pitcher. The shot pegged Samuel on the right foot and sent the pitcher reeling to the ground. Trainers rushed to him. Samuel had to skip the pickoff work that concludes every Live BP, but he walked off the field without help and was walking around the clubhouse a short time later.

He clearly did not know what was coming.

-30-