7/29 Extra bases

With Kosuke Fukudome gone after being traded to the Indians, Starlin Castro took over the leadoff spot for the Cubs on Friday. It was Castro then Darwin Barney batting 1-2 to open the series against the Cardinals. It’s not a new role for Castro, who has a .369 average in 19 games as the leadoff man.

“We’ll start with those two kids and it will be an evolving thing and maybe not,” Quade said.

* Tyler Colvin most likely won’t be playing first base, at least not now. He played first in Spring Training but stuck to the outfield at Triple-A Iowa. Is the infield experiment over?

“Not necessarily,” Quade said. “When we sent him out [to Iowa] we were concerned with the bat and let him play the outfield and let him work on his bat. [The experiment] is over for the moment.”

* Andrew Cashner, on the DL with a strained right rotator cuff, will throw off the mound on Saturday in Mesa, Ariz. After that, he was expected to join the team in Pittsburgh this week. He’s been on the DL since the day after his first start of the season April 5, has been rehabbing at the Cubs’ facility in Arizona most of the season. There is no timetable for his return.

– Carrie Muskat