Mar. 20 -- LINEUPS & THE TUNA

BY SCOTT LAUBER

JUPITER, Fla. -- In what may be a sneak preview of lineups to come, Charlie Manuel has three lefties in a row in the middle of the order. Chase Utley, back in the lineup after a routine day off yesterday, is back in his familiar No. 3 spot. Here's the full lineup:

SS Eric Bruntlett
CF Jayson Werth
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
LF Raul Ibanez
3B Pedro Feliz
RF Geoff Jenkins
C Carlos Ruiz
RHP Carlos Carrasco

Now, before y'all get overexcited about the Utley-Howard-Ibanez sequence, keep a few things in mind. a) It's still spring training; Manuel hasn't determined how he'll structure the lineup yet. b) The Cardinals are starting a right-hander, Adam Wainwright. It's entirely possible that Manuel will go lefty-lefty-lefty against right-handed pitching. Against lefties, I still think you'll see Werth in the No. 5 spot, with Ibanez batting sixth. But time will tell.

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You never know who you may run into at spring training. Walked into the clubhouse here this morning and saw Bill Parcells. The legendary NFL coach and executive director of football operations for the Miami Dolphins lives in the area. As I type this, he's chit-chatting with Manuel and Milt Thompson behind the batting cage.