Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Worth noting

• Manager Mike Redmond said Austin Kearns' slow start this spring -- he's gone 2-for-21 with one run, three walks and nine strikeouts in seven games this spring -- isn't something worth being overly concerned about at this point.

"He's a veteran guy, a veteran player, a veteran bat off the bench," Redmond said. "We know that, number one, he's used to hitting off the bench, which is tough for young guys to do. It's not easy to take a young guy who's used to playing every single day and getting consistent at-bats and put him on the bench in the big leagues and ask him to pinch-hit every 3-4 days, maybe get a start once a week, maybe not. That's tough."

Kearns appeared in 87 games for the Marlins last year, his first with the club, and played first base, left field and right field, designated hitter and had 52 pinch-hit plate appearances.

"It is nice to have a guy like Kearns out there that you can play him once a week, you can pinch-hit him against a tough righty, you can start him against a tough lefty," Redmond said. "He gives us some flexibility."

• Marlins reliever Steve Cishek and outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, will face Puerto Rico on Tuesday night in Miami.

Stanton is 0-for-7 with two walks and two strikeouts in the tournament, while Cishek has pitched one full inning, spanning two appearances, walking two.

• Hall of Famer and Marlins special assistant to the general manager Tony Perez exchanged the lineup cards before Tuesday's game with his son, Eduardo, the Astros' bench coach.

Joey Nowak is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @joeynowak.
Read More: Miami Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton, Greg Dobbs, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Chone Figgins, Placido Polanco, Ricky Nolasco, Steve Cishek, Austin Kearns