Cardinals are headed down the stretch

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the final stretch of Spring Training. With just about a week left before playing the Arizona Diamondbacks on Opening Day, Tuesday saw both Shelby Miller and Joe Kelly take the mound as the search for a starter continues.
Mar 19, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Shelby Miller (40) throws in the first inning during a spring training game against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
It’s Miller. It’s Kelly. It’s Miller with a slight lead.

I would say right this moment that Miller has a slight lead over Kelly in the Cardinals search for a starter. I’m basing this based on Tuesday’s game and comments that Cardinals manager Mike Matheny made.

"“I saw some positive things out of both of them,” said Matheny.“They just keep making it tough on us and that’s what they should be doing. You (media) guys don’t like that answer. Our fans probably don’t like that answer. I’m OK with it because that means we have a couple of guys who are throwing the ball real well.”"

One of the two will be on the mound Monday when the Cardinals take on the Minnesota Twins while the other could be playing in a minor league game. It does not necessarily mean that one will be re-assigned to Memphis but it’s more to get some additional innings this spring.

There is a question of how many pitchers the Cardinals will be carrying this spring. In all likelihood, I would think that the Cardinals could carry 13 pitchers rather than 12.

"Matheny cited the potential need for another “long” man in the bullpen, in addition to Trevor Rosenthal, who could be one. In Matheny’s mind, either Kelly or Miller could fill that role while the other starts."

Good riddance to Ronny Cedeno. There were many Cardinals bloggers, myself included, that did not like the idea of signing the former Cub. I’m not surprised by his release. With Cedeno gone, the Cardinals bench is likely going to consist of Matt Adams, Daniel Descalso (when he’s not starting), Tony Cruz, Shane Robinson, and some other names.