PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. • With fewer innings remaining to find his way and more pounds to add to his weight, Cardinals lefty Brett Cecil appeared in a game for the first time in 11 days and continued to find results that, like his frame, are thin.
The lack of snap on his fastball and control of his delivery prompted Cecil to talk Sunday with the team’s trainer about rethinking his diet so that he can gain some lost weight and restore balance to his mechanics. In one inning of work against the New York Mets, Cecil slipped loose from trouble and did not allow a run, but he walked Tim Tebow and hit a batter, and eight of his first 12 pitches were balls.