SoCal connections are in the Cards.

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.

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.