St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 23

rR 24 2001 ST.UJUISPOST'DISfWCH SATURDAY, 'MARCH 24, 2001 CPS tw i crams Stephenson is pleased with elbow's progress By Rick Hummel Of the Post-Dispatch TV-'. Spring report THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Catcher Eli Marrero talks to pitcher Darryl Kile during the fourth inning of the Cardinals' 8-1 win against Baltimore. Kile pitched six innings, allowing two hits and no runs. Pujols makes decision harder for Cards CARDINALS 8, BALTIMORE 1 Highlight Darryl Kile allowed just two hits and one walk in six scoreless innings pitched. Cardinals' spring record: 14-9 Today: vs.

Mets, 12:05 p.m. (KPLR) JUPITER, Fla. Garrett Stephenson, testing his ailing elbow in a game for the first time, worked two innings Thursday with mixed statistical results. He allowed three runs against the Montreal Expos, including two wind-blown homers, but the Cardinals righthander didn't walk anybody. More important was how he felt Friday Stephenson said he didn't feel bad.

"I definitely had my normal soreness," he said. "It was my first outing at basically 100 percent. But I feel better than expected. I feel good. "What I need to do is start building up arm strength.

(Thursday) was like March 2 to me. "I definitely missed more spots than usual, but I will take a day like that. I don't care if there were wind gusts and I gave up two home runs. That really doesn't matter. I didn't walk anybody, even with not as good a control as I wanted.

I'm very pleased with what happened." Pitching coach Dave Duncan, Who had the same doubts that nearly everybody else had a month ago or even a couple of weeks ago, said, "Everything is positive now." Besides his elbow, in which he has tendinitis, Stephenson was involved in a car accident a week or so ago in which he suffered injuries to his left thumb and left hip. "Everything from the car accident is gone," he said. "I was just sore." Stephenson may well pitch a couple of more times before the Cardinals break camp, but the 16-game winner from last year won't be in the rotation at the start of the season. "I don't have the arm strength to be a starter right now, obviously," he said. "If I threw two innings (Thursday) and it was March 2, 1 could have built up enough arm strength.

It takes three to four weeks to build up five or six innings in your arm. "But if I get another two or three outings before the season starts, I think I could do very well starting in the bullpen, maybe long relief. I know thafs basically what we need. I can help out in the pen, I would enjoy doing it and I know I could do well in the long-relief aspect "That would not bother me at alL" Duncan, considering that possibility, said, "You have to see what your needs are." Two months ago, Stephenson had a difficult time envisioning himself anywhere close to pitching. "Ifs hard to make strides when you're silting at home and you try to play catch and your hurts, like he said.

t'fc'l'i Despite another fine game, the youngster probably will start the season in Class AAA. By Rick Hummel Of the Post-Dispatch JUPITER, Ha. Albert Pujols, 21, makes it tougher every day for the Cardinals to dispatch him to Memphis, even if it might be only temporary. Normally a third baseman, Pujols played left field Friday and made a striking running catch in left-center. He also singled and doubled in three at-bats, driving in two runs as Darryl Kile and the Cardinals topped Baltimore and former Cardinal Pat Hent-gen 8-1 in an exhibition game.

Pujols is hitting 351 with eight extra-base hits among his 12 hits this spring. The reasonable thing to do may be to send Pujols to Class AAA for more seasoning. But the reality is he looks at home with the major-leagueteam. "What" the difference in reason and reality?" manager Tony La Russa countered. "The reality is that he's playing like hell.

The reason is that he probably would continue to do so if you keep playing him. So the key is to quit playing him." Asked where he thought he stood, Pujols said with a smile, "I cant answer that question. I think he can answer that question. Thafs a good question for Tony. I dont make that decision.

They do." La Russa appears" raJhavfe imad it that Pujols will be sent out, least for a while. "If we didn't have Craig Paquette it's not like we have a hole there," La Russa said, referring to his third-base situation. Pujols "has looked very good." "But every once in a while, you can see his inexperience that would be my answer to the fans," La Russa said, setting up a joke. "Like he put on the wrong hat the other day. He put on the red hat instead of the blue one.

So inexperience exists there." The Cardinals will face a half dozen or so lefthanded pitchers in the first two weeks of the season against Arizona and Colorado, so another right-handed bat might be needed. But La Russa said that didn't enter into the issue. Pujols "just looks like a good hitter, no matter what the pitcher," La Russa said Pujols played some outfield during the Class AAA World Series last year. "I don't have any problem with it at all," he said. On his double-saving catch, Pujols said, "I got a pretty good read.

As soon as he hit it, I got a good jump on it" La Russa said that catch was the most impressive thing Pujols did all day. Memphis manager Gaylen Pitts "was sitting next to me in the dugout," La Russa said, "and he said, "Play him in left field whenever you want He told me that about two weeks ago." Then La Russa said he kiddingly told Pitts before Pujols' Jast at-battfaat "if fir gietsV hit, Tm going' to call (equipment manager Buddy Bates) to get a locker ready for him. I think (Pitts) was pulling against him." Besides playing third base arid left field, Pujols has played shortstop and first base. (Qe allowed two hits and no runs in six innings, and La Russa told Kile he would make his second consecutive opening-day start for the Cardinals, on April 2 in Denver. Counting his two years with the Colorado Rockies, Kile will have pitched four straight opening-day games.

The first Cardinals pitcher to work six innings this spring, Kile walked one and struck out five. For 19 spring innings, Kile has permitted only five earned runs. La Russa said the refinement of a change of pace has helped Kile this spring. He already had an above-average fastball and a well above-average curveball. "I know last year (the changeup) was getting better and better," La Russa said.

"I think now it's a pitch he can trust about any time he wants to, against rights or lefts. "Look at the problem it creates for the hitters." Pitching coach Dave Duncan said the change-up "gives him another weapon. He got some strikeouts on it today. He didn't have the confidence in it that he does now. "The way he's using it now shows that mentally it has become part of his pitching plan." -Ct jfjt-PlwWi ppctWTltw,) -trtJ' E-mail:.