tom s.: Joe --

Do you think that tony will split the leadoff role between Barton and Skip based on whether a rightie or leftie is pitching for the other team? I see this as a possibilty: against righties, Skip leads off in center, Dunc in left in the fifth slot, and Ankiel in right; against lefties, Barton leads off in right field, Ludwick in left in the fifth slot, and Ankiel in center.

Or has the dismissal of Spiezio and his solid play put Mather on the roster?

tom

Joe Strauss: Mather is receiving much mileage. An outfield of Duncan, Schu, Ankiel, Barton and Ludwick obviously would leave no room for Juan Gonzalez. Prior to signing Gonzalez reportedly said he would open the season at Memphis if necessary, but has not repeated that stance in camp. It looks as though Barton vs. Gonzalez will be one of camp's tougher calls. The problem with platooning Ludwick is that he hits rights better than lefts. Ankiel may continue to sit against tough lefts, but TLR envisions him as an everyday player. Chris Duncan and Barton project as left fielders only, though Barton is seeing much time in RF this spring. Schumaker should make the club and serve as leadoff hitter against most RH pitchers. Fair to say there will be plenty of platooning with this bunch.

roger from lake tahoe: what did you think of mo's comments?

Joe Strauss: ChatMeister wannabe...

Aaron: Joe,
If Izturis doesn't start playing better do you think there is any chance the Cardinals will decide to go with Ryan at S.S., Kennedy at 2nd, Miles as their backup and Mather as a backup to 3rd and 1st. Ryan would also be able to play third and second. This would seem to go with the youth movement instead of playing a S.S. who has had past defensive success but hasn't hit well this spring or hit much in the past. Do we really lose that much on defense with Ryan at S.S. instead of Izturis?
Thanks for your time Joe.

Joe Strauss: The Cardinals are contractually committed to Izturis. I don't see him going anywhere. Though he's scuffled early, everyone I've spoken to believes Izturis will be average-plus defensively. There is a question about whether Ryan and Izturis become overexposed if in the lineup every day. There could be room for both, with Ryan playing against LH pitching.

drelboc: Hey Chatmeister;
Wow, Joe and Mo teaming it up in the PD....first class as always with JSL!!!
Joe; can this team compete with average or plus play at 2nd and SS while having subpar performance at the plate (with Isturis and Kennedy figuring to be the middle parts in the infield), if the starting pitching suddenly takes on the look we are hoping for?

Joe you are omnimscient when it comes to Cardinal baseball. Thats why the Redbird fans flock to you with their questions. But hey you know that to. ;>)

Thanks Joe!

Joe Strauss: Another well-thought out question built upon a rock solid foundation. JSL!!! is on record with serious concerns about this team's defense. It wasn't good last season and at times appeared brutal. This is not a dominant pitching or offensive club, so there are few ways to overcome a crush of unearned runs. (The Cardinals allowed 84 unearned runs last season.) Jason LaRue is a solid defensive backup C, which may allow Molina to be paced more than the last two seasons. Pujols is a legitimate Gold Glove. However, it's fair to say questions can be found at most other positions.

LPD: What are the chances, given the fact that the rotation is already falling apart, that we will see Kyle McClellan, Jason Motte or one of the other talented young pitchers in the starting rotation or bullpen early this season (hard to imagine them doing worse than Reyes last year)? Or will the Cards go outside the organization for pitching help if push comes to shove?

Joe Strauss: They're being pushed and shoved right now and appear headed outside the organization. McClellan and Motte have impressed. McClellan appears to have a strong clue. Motte, a converted catcher, is very aggressive and, besides Chris Perez, may have the hardest fastball in camp. That said, I don't see either one in St. Louis early, barring further calamities.