Jaime a candidate to start Saturday for Cards

ST. LOUIS -- Left-hander Jaime Garcia is a candidate to start on Saturday now that the Cardinals need a new fifth starter, general manager John Mozeliak said shortly after the club placed Tyler Lyons on the disabled list.

Garcia threw 74 pitches in a five-inning Triple-A rehab start on Monday. It was his first extended outing since beginning his rehab assignment, as Garcia's first start ended after two innings when he was hit by a pitch. Though Garcia may not yet be ready to eclipse 100 pitches in his next start, the Cardinals may not see that as a necessity for his first start.

The Cardinals will monitor how Garcia recovers from Monday's outing before finalizing that Saturday starting assignment. Garcia is scheduled to throw his between-starts bullpen session on Wednesday, though it had not yet been determined whether he will do that in Memphis or under staff watch in St. Louis.

"I want to know how he feels," Mozeliak said. "He threw very well last night. Reports of how he pitched were extremely positive. More importantly, it's going to be how he feels from a physical standpoint. But I am encouraged."

Mozeliak identified left-hander Tim Cooney as another starting candidate should the club choose to have Garcia pitch one more game in the Minors. Cooney is 4-2 with a 2.94 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in eight starts for Memphis. He is not yet on the club's 40-man roster.