JUPITER, Fla. — Weather: 71 degrees, partly cloudy
Result: Mets 5, Cardinals 3
Alex Reyes has almost certainly been the best pitcher in the Cardinals camp so far this spring but he won’t be in the starting rotation when the regular season begins.
Manager Mike Shildt said he informed Reyes before Tuesday’s game that he will be working out of the bullpen, more a reflection of all of the injuries he has had in recent years and the shortened 2020 season that has limited him to a total of 87 innings since 2018.
“I was pretty candid with him today that it’s not a decision about whether he should or shouldn’t start based on his ability,” Shildt said. “Clearly all things being equal this would be a guy who would be in our rotation but they’re not. Alex while disappointed is also realistic and understands completely.
“He gets the big picture of what we are doing and he’s also a tremendous teammate. He recognizes that he has a lot of value in the role he will be in in our bullpen and he accepts that completely.”
John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations, said the Cardinals would like to get Reyes to approximately 100 innings this season which would then put him in line to compete for a spot in the rotation next season.
Mozeliak said the team’s internal discussions have been about the role that Reyes will fill in the bullpen.
“How do you best optimize someone that may look as well as anybody in this camp?” Mozeliak said. “He’s throwing the ball extremely well. We’ll try to be smart about this and see how things are going for him but obviously we’re really excited about what we are seeing from him this spring.
“The most important thing you can do is protect him from a health standpoint.”
Shildt did not want to put a “magic” number on Reyes’s innings for this year but said he knows Reyes will be counted on in a variety of ways.
‘I look at it as a real opportunity and I don’t want to pigeon-hole it into one set situation,” he said. “I think there are multiple ways Alex can be used. We’re not going to ride him just to get innings either just to try to get to some mythical number.”
Reyes made his third appearance of the spring on Tuesday. He struck out the first two hitters he faced, then gave up his first two hits of the spring before finishing his one inning with another strikeout.
“He had some good stuff; his changeup I thought was filthy today and his breaking ball was as good as ever with a live fastball,” Shildt said. “He got a little traffic and didn’t make more of it than it was and got himself out of it.”
Here is how Tuesday’s game broke down:
High: Carlos Martinez worked three scoreless innings in a big improvement from his first start of the spring.
Low: The Mets rallied from a 3-0 deficit, scoring all five of their runs in the seventh inning off relievers Angel Rondon and Seth Elledge, aided by a throwing error by third baseman Nolan Gorman that led to three unearned runs.
At the plate: Justin Williams had two hits, including his first home run of the spring … The Cardinals had only one other hit, an RBI single by Andrew Knizner … Their third run scored on a sacrifice fly by Edmundo Sosa … Matt Carpenter was 0-of-2 with a walk and a strikeout. He is now 0-of-13 this spring with seven strikeouts.
On the mound: Martinez allowed two hits, walked two and struck out three … In addition to Reyes, Genesis Cabrera, Tyler Webb and Kodi Whitley all worked scoreless innings in relief.
Worth noting: Mikes Mikolas has had another setback in his recovery from last summer’s arm surgery and a sore shoulder this spring. He will not throw a bullpen as scheduled on Wednesday and instead will get more imaging on his arm and shoulder. Shildt conceded this almost assures that Mikolas will not be ready to pitch when the season begins … Harrison Bader, who has not played since the second game of the spring because of a sore forearm, is scheduled to be in the lineup on Wednesday … The Cardinals announced that they will hold their alternate camp site at the Gateway Grizzlies ballpark in Sauget, Ill. The camp is expected to open on April 6 and last about a month until the Triple A season begins. The roster is expected to be primarily the roster that will begin the season for Memphis, along with some extra catchers.
Up next: The Cardinals will play the Nationals in a pair of games on Wednesday in West Palm Beach. Jordan Hicks is scheduled for his first competitive outing in the morning “B” game, with John Gant working as the starter. Jack Flaherty is scheduled to start the regular game.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains