Cardinals' Schumaker makes 4th error at 2B

By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Well into spring training, the St. Louis Cardinals’ second base experiment is far from a success.

Manager Tony La Russa said he’s sticking with converted outfielder Skip Schumaker, who committed his fourth error Wednesday. But Schumaker will be the designated hitter Thursday against Boston, giving him a chance to rest his legs and perhaps clear his head.

“I know he’s tough and this is when your toughness becomes a real asset,” La Russa said after the Cardinals scored four times in the ninth inning for an 8-4 victory over the Florida Marlins. “It’s too early to say he can or can’t do it.”

Schumaker is batting .333 in 30 at-bats, second-most on the team, while getting a lot of playing time to familiarize himself with the new position. He batted .302 last year as the team’s leadoff man while playing right field and center field.

Schumaker found out not long before spring training that the club wanted him to try second base to ease a glut in the outfield, and when Adam Kennedy was released just a few days before camp opened, second base became his job to lose. Schumaker said he’s struggled most on routine plays.

“The errors I’ve made I’ve had time to think about,” he said. “The reaction play I’ve been fine at. It’s the easy plays I’ve messed up.”

Schumaker had plenty of time before booting ninth-place hitter Manny Mayorson’s grounder right at him in the third, which led to two unearned runs off Todd Wellemeyer. Brett Carroll homered off Wellemeyer the previous at-bat and Dallas McPherson capped the inning with a two-run double.

Wellemeyer worked five innings in his third spring start, allowing one earned run and three hits. Wellemeyer, a 13-game winner in his first full year as a starter, was the first St. Louis pitcher to go five innings.

The Marlins got a bit of a scare when right-hander Chris Volstad, the likely No. 3 starter, took a line drive off his right hip in the fifth inning. The 22-year-old Volstad was taken out of the game as a precaution and hoped to make his next start on Sunday or Monday.

“He’ll be sore the next couple of days but he should be fine,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “If we think that there’s any (problem), we’ll bump him back, but right now I don’t see any problems.”

Joe Mather’s liner caught Volstad on the follow-through and the ball ended up in shallow right field for an RBI single and Cardinals’ third straight hit to open the fifth. Volstad allowed two runs in four-plus innings in his third spring start.

“It was a straight line drive and it didn’t miss, either,” Volstad said. “It was a direct hit. It’ll probably be a bruise there tomorrow but nothing I can’t deal with.”

Mather added a two-run double in the ninth off Jesus Delgado and was 2-for-4 with four RBIs, giving him a team-high 11 in 30 at-bats. He’s vying for the third base opening until Troy Glaus returns from shoulder surgery.

Michael Ryan also homered for the Marlins.