It's been a long week for Memphis Redbirds hitters. Fortunately, Jon Jay says, it's an even longer season.
"You can't worry about one, two weeks. You keep doing your work, and keep a positive outlook," said Jay, the hottest bat in the Redbirds' lineup -- and at the moment the club's leadoff man. "There's a long way to go."

The Birds' team average is up about eight points from the start of this month, but still firmly rooted in the Pacific Coast League cellar at .230. The last eight games they've gone 2-6, averaging just two runs a game. The league's best pitching staff (3.43 ERA) and solid defense (30 errors in 35 games) keeps Memphis above .500 -- 19-16 before Monday night's game with Reno at AutoZone Park.

But there are glimmers at the plate -- starting with the Redbirds' centerfielder of the moment.

Jay, a lefthander who moved to center when Shane Robinson was promoted to St. Louis, extended his hitting streak to six in Monday's game with the Reno Aces. He's 11-for-24 in that stretch, raising his average from .213 to .255 during May. He also drew two intentional walks Monday night.

Like many Redbirds hitters, he's well off the pace of his career minor league average (.308), but he's headed in the right direction.

"I've been happy with my approach at the plate. It's stayed consistent this season," said Jay, a 24-year-old former Miami Hurricane who was a second-round pick in 2006 and was a Texas League All-Star in Double-A Springfield last year before hitting .345 in 16 late-season games in Memphis. "I just didn't get a lot of hits to fall."

"I don't worry about Jon Jay. He's is a .300 hitter everywhere he's gone, and he is still technically in his first trip around this league," said St. Louis Cardinals' minor league hitting coordinator Dan Radison, who was finishing up a weekend with the Redbirds on Monday.

"He's also getting back to the things he does best, going to the gaps, hitting line drives. He's a Wade Boggs-type hitter."

That he gives the team flawless defense is a given. Jay has not made an error this year -- and has no errors in 237 minor league appearances.

The Redbirds' leading hitters Robinson (.345) and Tyler Greene (.296) and top RBI producer Nick Stavinoha (25) are filling injury holes at the moment in St. Louis. Veteran second baseman Jarrett Hoffpauir (.244) is just back from 10 days on the DL with a hamstring. Two of last year's power sources, third baseman David Freese (ankle) and outfielder Joe Mather (hand) are on the DL after struggling -- Mather struggling mightily (.129).

That leaves the Redbirds with several first-year Triple-A starters, and leftside infielders Brett Wallace and Donavan Solano just up from Double-A, learning on the fly. Wallace had three hits Monday, Solano had two and Wallace made a nice grab of a sharp liner to third in his third Triple-A start.

"You get holes at the top, you have holes everywhere in the organization, and everyone feels the effects for a couple of weeks," said Riordan of the Cardinals, who like the Redbirds went 2-6 in the last week and are 5-9 in May without star outfielders Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel.

(commercialappeal.com)

JUPITER, Fla. — Outfielder Jon Jay’s bottom-of-the-ninth single scored the winning run Sunday and made a winner of Blake Hawksworth, who pitched a scoreless inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a chance at the game-ending rally.

Their reward: They were both sent to Class AAA after the game.

“Must be a good team when the wining pitcher and the guy with the game-winning hit don’t make the team,” manager Tony La Russa said.
Five players were trimmed from the major-league camp roster on Sunday afternoon, the traditional day at Cardinals camp for cuts. (It gets each player their full per diem for the week.) Hawksworth and Tyler Greene were optioned to Class AAA, and pitcher Fernando Salas, catcher Bryan Anderson and Jay were reassigned to the minor-league camp. This is Greene’s first year on the 40-man roster and thus his first option year has been used.

(stltoday.com0

JUPITER, Fla. Rookie Jon Jay, who has hit in four straight exhibition games and has impressed St. Louis Cardinals brass with his quick bat, has earned a start today in right field for the exhibition game here against the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays.

The lefthanded-hitting Jay, a stocky 200-pounder who is faster than he looks, has had five hits in 12 at-bats so far this spring. Brian Barton, who knocked in six runs on Sunday when he was playing the outfield, will serve as the designated hitter in the game to be started by righthander Adam Wainwright, who will be making is first appearance of the spring.

(stltoday.com)