--RHP Kyle Lohse will get a night start whenever possible this season. While going 4-5 by day with a 4.75 ERA in 15 starts last year, Lohse was 11-1, 2.97 in 18 starts at night.

--The club will not play a game on artificial turf again next season. The Cardinals' interleague road games are at Kansas City and Cleveland, both of which have grass fields.

--World Series combatants Philadelphia and Tampa Bay both will pay rare visits to play the Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla., next spring. The Cardinals have played the Devil Rays only once in the exhibition season, and that was at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., 11 years ago.

BY THE NUMBERS: 7 -- Number of bunt hits by the Cardinals last season. Five of those were by SS Cezar Izturis (two), no longer with the club, and INF Aaron Miles (three), who wasn't tendered a contract.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We need to be careful because maybe everything is rosy, but if it's not, we have to build in some flexibility. It's the team that has the dry powder that will ultimately get the benefit of this market. ... From that standpoint, we want to be in great position to take advantage." -- Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III on the club's stance of waiting until the financial climate changes before making any broad expenditures.