Cards to stay with rotation with off-day ahead

ST. LOUIS -- Rather than use Thursday's off-day to skip the fifth spot in the rotation, the Cardinals will keep all of their starters in line and therefore have lefty Tyler Lyons start on Friday. That will be Lyons' third start since joining the big league club to fill in for an injured Joe Kelly.

The Cardinals could have had Adam Wainwright, Sunday's starter, also pitch on regular rest Friday and roll over the rotation from there. That would have left the club without the need for a fifth starter until May 6 in Atlanta. While that option was considered, manager Mike Matheny decided there was value in having all the starters take that extra day of rest.

Thursday's day off will be the first for the club in a three-week stretch.

"I believe he's earned another opportunity," Matheny added as a nod to what Lyons has done in two spot starts.

Though Lyons has lost both games, he has not pitched all that poorly. He posted five 1-2-3 innings on Saturday but was doomed by a four-run third. In his first start, walks and his own error contributed to the Mets scoring two runs off of him in six innings. The Cardinals' offense has scored a total of one run in his two games.