JUPITER, Fla. — Injuries have left a crack in the potential starting rotation for the Cardinals to begin this season, and Daniel Ponce de Leon would like to take advantage of that opening.
With Miles Mikolas already headed for the injured list to start the season, another projected starter, Kwang Hyun Kim, missed his scheduled start on Saturday night, giving Ponce de Leon the chance to make his first start of the spring.
He worked 3 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, and did not allow a run until after he was out of the game. He left with runners on second and third, and a wild pitch allowed the runner on third to score.
Ponce de Leon, who struck out two, threw 68 pitches, 44 of which were strikes.
“I was really encouraged by Ponce’s start tonight,” said manager Mike Shildt. “He was really locked in, a lot of really quality pitches. He did a really good job, not a lot of hard contact at all. He did a better job of controlling counts.
“Really, really encouraging night for Ponce.”
Ponce de Leon started eight games for the Cardinals last season, going 1-3 with a 5.01 ERA but only lasted past the fifth inning twice.
The Cardinals arrived at spring training believing they had four spots set in the rotation with Jack Flaherty, Adam Wainwright, Mikolas and Kim. There was supposed to be a competition for the fifth spot, but that died away quickly with Carlos Martinez locking up that spot.
Now, however, the injuries to Mikolas and Kim have left the Cardinals with just three starters set to begin the year — Flaherty, Wainwright and Martinez. John Gant is likely the leading candidate for one of the two remaining spots, with Johan Oviedo and Jake Woodford the other most likely candidates besides Ponce de Leon.
Here is how Saturday night’s game broke down:
High: John Nogowski went 4-of-4 and drove in four runs as he keeps trying to force his way into the conversation for one of the final spots on the Cardinals’ bench.
Low: Kim being scratched with back tightness.
At the plate: Nogowski drove in the first run with a single in the fifth, then added another RBI single in the seventh and drove in two more runs with a single in the ninth. His four-hit night raised his spring average to .353 … Lane Thomas drove in the other run in the seventh with a double … Austin Dean also had two hits, a single and double, and scored twice … Non-roster outfielder Lars Nootbaar broke a 3-3 tie in the ninth with a triple, driving in Scott Hurst, who drew a walk on a 12-pitch at-bat, before scoring on Nogowski’s final hit.
On the mound: After Ponce de Leon left, Matthew Liberatore worked two perfect innings with one strikeout … Zack Thompson had two strikeouts in his first inning of relief, but then walked the bases loaded in the eighth, After he left the game, Seth Elledge allowed a two-run single that tied the game.
Worth noting: Shildt said Kim suffered the back tightness in his most recent bullpen session. It isn’t know when Kim will be ready to pitch again or how long he will be sidelined, although Shildt did acknowledge that the setback could possibly prevent Kim from making his first scheduled start of the regular season three weeks from now. “We’re not going to push it just to push it,” Shildt said. If Kim is out that long, he would join Mikolas as starters the Cardinals were expecting to be in the opening rotation who could begin the year on the injured list … One pitcher coming back from injury, Jordan Hicks, is scheduled to throw one inning on Sunday in his first official spring game. He has pitched one inning in a B game … The Cardinals announced they have signed all of their players with less than three years of service time to contracts for this season … The Cardinals made their first roster cuts of the spring after the game, optioning pitchers Junior Fernandez and Johan Quesada, and re-assigning pitchers Conner Jones, Griffin Roberts, Austin Warner and Garrett Williams; catchers Pedro Pages and Carlos Soto, infielder Luken Baker and Kramer Robertson and outfielders Lars Nootbaar and Justin Toerner to the minor league camp.
Up next: The Cardinals will play the Mets in Port St. Lucie on Sunday, with Carlos Martinez making his third start of the spring.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains