When Brendan Ryan stepped into the batter's box before his first at-bat on Tuesday something just didn't feel right.

"It took me three or four at-bats to just remember what my [batting] stance was like," Ryan said.

This is understandable for a guy who hasn't seen live pitching since March. It was back during spring training that Ryan hyper-extended his left ring finger while hitting, which lead to an injury to ligaments in his wrist because of overcompensation for the finger -- thus he his rehab stint in State College.

The rehab assignment is a strange thing in baseball. Outside of hockey, it is the only sport where an injured player has the chance to actually see some game action before returning to his current team. Ryan believes he knows why it's a part of baseball healing process.

"It's more of a timing thing," Ryan said. "Gotta see that fastball. I haven't seen anything bent in a while -- curveballs and sliders -- so I have to see some of those."

Even though it sounds easy, regaining timing has been a struggle for Ryan. So far as he's gone 0-for-8 in his one game with the Spikes, but stats aren't what his visit to Happy Valley is all about. He said that he wants to get his feel for the game back before heading back to double-A. The 6-foot-2 shortstop is currently on the Cardinals 40-man roster, which is an accomplishment for a player drafted three years ago.

But for Ryan, it's more about playing than where he's playing.

"It's fun to start playing again," Ryan said. "I'll get some swings in and hopefully mix some hits in and get some ground balls and head back to Springfield."

That is nature of the rehab assignment -- get in and get out. Ryan was projected to start the year in either Springfield or Memphis (AAA), but his injury slowed down his progress, so the Cardinals will be content to see him closer to home. But for now, he's not complaining about his assignment. Ryan admitted that getting to Springfield is his ultimate goal, but he also didn't mind spending a couple of more days in State College. One of the reasons is old teammate Jason Motte, or as Ryan described his reunion, "Mottie, he's still crazy." Ryan and Motte were teammates on the 2005 Springfield team, but their reunion will only last a maximum 20 days.

"We got a good group of guys down here," Ryan said. "And a lot of personality in the club house."

Spikes Notes

The Spikes are hitting .302 with runners in scoring position with Jose Salazar leading the way with a .481 average. Now if they could only get people on base... The St. Louis Cardinals have called up Marco Gonzalez, a 6-foot-2 right-handed pitcher, to the Spikes. Gonzalez was 3-0 (all in one week) with a 0.73 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a.073 average with the Johnson City Cardinals... The Spikes are 2-6 when the have allowed a home run.