ST. LOUIS -- Two injured candidates for the fifth spot in the Cardinals' starting rotation will take important steps toward recovery this weekend.
General manager John Mozeliak says Marco Gonzales will make a start at Triple A Memphis on Saturday for the first time since April 20, and Jaime Garcia should be ready to start a rehab assignment Sunday.
In the meantime, left-hander Tyler Lyons will fill in for ace Adam Wainwright when St. Louis faces the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday at Busch Stadium.
Both Garcia and Gonzales were in consideration for a spot in the rotation early in spring training but were derailed by shoulder ailments.
The 23-year-old Gonzales, who made his major league debut last June, posted a 4.50 ERA in three minor league starts this season and is expected to be on a pitch count Saturday against New Orleans.
"We just want to be smart," said Mozeliak, who hasn't put a timeline on when either pitcher would be available for a start in St. Louis. "He's young. He's someone that we think has a bright future, so there's no reason to push it."
Garcia reportedly threw 70 pitches Tuesday and Mozeliak says the 28-year-old feels much stronger than he did in spring training. If all goes well, he'll start a rehabilitation program Sunday, though it's unclear where he'll go or how long it might last.
Manager Mike Matheny emphasized it's impossible to tell when Garcia might be able to make his 98th career start for the Cardinals and his first since last June. It will all depend on how he feels moving forward.
Mozeliak said the team's success will help determine the timeline for the two pitchers and will influence any decisions to look outside the organization.
"It's really based on that fifth day and how those starts look, but obviously, when you have a chance to go out and improve your team, you're going to do that," Mozeliak said. "Right now, we already talked about those names like Marco and Jaime are still in consideration, so for us winning allows us to be patient."
Reining in Martinez
Manager Mike Matheny saw just 11 pitches and two walks before making a visit out to the mound to talk with his volatile young right-hander.
Carlos Martinez's mentality and approach in a five-run first drew the ire of his manager, as well as several teammates. Catcher Tony Cruz says Matheny spoke in English and had some harsh words for the 23-year-old, who showed some of the immaturity that plagued him last season.
"You're still going to have relapses, because he matured more than just a year's time in his game and as a person, so you're expecting it to be completely whole in just a year's time, I think's not really realistic," Matheny says. "If you give the appearance that you've given in, given up, woe is me, it's somebody's job to jump your case and fix it. That at that point was my job."
But the Cardinals offered plenty of support for Martinez, as several teammates made it clear what he needed to do when he came back to the dugout. Matheny says catcher Yadier Molina, who got a rare day off, put his arm around Martinez in support after a serious lecture to try to settle him down.
It appeared to be somewhat effective; Martinez gave up just two earned runs over his final 2 2/3 innings before leaving the game after 102 pitches. Matheny was also impressed Martinez stayed in the dugout to support his teammates as they rallied back for a 10-9 win.
"He was still kind of in sulk mode and I get it," Matheny says. "But the fact that he was out there was the right thing to do."
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.
