The St. Louis Cardinals’ roster is full of native Southern Californians, enough to turn one at-bat by the visiting team into a loud welcome home.
Bryan Anderson (Thousand Oaks) is basically the Cardinals’ third catcher. The 25-year-old was recalled Aug. 29 and has appeared in five games since, starting only one. The Cardinals’ other local products are all regulars:
First baseman Allen Craig (Temecula) is batting .305/.361/.536 with a career-high 20 home runs this season. He is batting in his usual cleanup position against the Dodgers.
Left-handed pitcher Joe Kelly (Corona/UC Riverside) starts tomorrow. More than 100 friends and family members are expected to attend.
Left-handed pitcher Marc Rzepczynski (Anaheim/UCR) has appeared in 65 games, second on the team, all in relief. The 27-year-old has a 4.43 earned-run average and 31 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings.
Skip Schumaker (Aliso Viejo) continues to be one of the Cardinals’ most valuable utilitymen. He has played all three outfield positions in addition to second base, batting .289/.352/.390, coming off the bench in 32 of his 93 games.