eye on …

Former Ole Miss ace Lance Lynn probably isn’t going to win the spring competition for the fifth starter’s spot in St. Louis, but he appears close to landing a big league job, perhaps later this season. Lynn, rated St. Louis’ No. 6 prospect by Baseball America, started Saturday against Houston and threw three hitless innings before allowing a couple of runs in the fourth. He’s 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in 11 innings this spring; he has fanned nine and walked four. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Lynn was a first-round pick by the Cardinals out of UM in 2008 and rose quickly. He spent all of last season at Triple-A Memphis, posting a 13-10 record with a 4.77 ERA. He grabbed a lot more attention when he struck out 16 batters in a Pacific Coast League playoff game. Lynn reportedly improved both his fastball and curveball last season and has impressed Cardinals officials this spring. Don’t expect him to make the 25-man roster for opening day, but he’s coming soon.