JUPITER, Fla. -- The Cardinals' first full-squad workout of spring was highlighted by 13 sessions of live batting practice on Tuesday, marking the first time that pitchers could test their repertoires against hitters.
Each of the participating pitchers threw two side sessions in front of the Cards' staff last week before facing their position player teammates. Some of those hitters didn't swing the bat, preferring to track pitches while then using a separate coach-pitched batting-practice session to work on their swings.
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This early in camp, it's common to see the pitchers a little further along in their season prep than hitters.
"It's a big step for getting prepared for the season, getting the hitters in there," said Michael Wacha, among those who threw on Tuesday. "It's just a different feeling as a pitcher, having hitters in there. You have to execute your pitches, or else you're going to get a line drive back at your face. It's good getting some feedback from them and hearing what they see, as well. It's helpful for both sides."
In addition to Wacha, Adam Wainwright, Jaime Garcia, Seth Maness and Kevin Siegrist were among those who faced hitters in what will be the first of at least two such sessions before the start of games.
Worth noting
• Although he has not yet resumed work behind the plate, Yadier Molina did some light catching around the bases by taking throws from pitchers practicing their pickoff moves. Molina, who used his catcher's mitt for the exercise, wore a splint to protect his left thumb.

• Former outfielder Jim Edmonds became the latest Cardinals alum to show up at Spring Training and dress in as a guest instructor. Edmonds, as expected, spent much of his on-field time on Tuesday working with the outfielders.
The Cardinals annually have a wave of former players and Hall of Famers shuffle through camp to offer instruction. Manager Mike Matheny noted that Willie McGee, Whitey Herzog, Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and Bruce Sutter have open invitations to attend and that at least a few will stop by over the next five weeks. Red Schoendienst has been in camp since last week.
Smith did appear at the Cardinals' spring complex on Tuesday, but not for the purpose of coaching. He participated in a commercial video shoot after workouts had been completed.