DOWNTOWN — Already skipping his original start for this series, Cardinals pitcher Joel Pineiro is questionable for his re-scheduled start Saturday because of ongoing soreness in his groin, manager Tony La Russa said this afternoon.

Pineiro met with a team doctor Tuesday morning, and the righthander said he was diagnosed with a mild strain of his right groin. Pineiro described it as exactly what he expected after first injuring the area while shagging fly balls in the outfield during the road trip. The groin was painful enough Tuesday that he planned to play catch, but spend most of the day with the standard three-step plan for recovery.

“Ice. Ice. Ice,” he said.

He conceded that he could not throw off a mound with the groin feeling like it did Tuesday, but added that he could throw Thursday and still be ready for Saturday.

Pineiro believes he will be ready for the start.

La Russa said the team would like to make a decision “sooner rather than later” on Pineiro’s availability for Saturday. The club is expected to make a formal announcement about the righthander’s situation shortly before tonight’s game against Houston. It’s possible the team will wait to see how Pineiro feels for his scheduled bullpen on Wednesday and then decide if Mike Parisi has to be held aside as an alternative for Pineiro or if a roster move is needed.

If the Cardinals elect to disable Pineiro, they could bring up a reliever to assume Parisi’s duties or turn to a familiar name for the spot start: Anthony Reyes is 1-0 with a 2.04 ERA in four starts with Triple-A Memphis. He has struck out 19 and walked 11 while allowing 15 hits in 17 2/3 innings.

A DL stint would only cost Pineiro Saturday. The 15-day DL would be backdated and he would be eligible to come off in time for his next start, in Washington. That means the Cardinals would only need a cameo from whomever they call up — and could actually use several pitchers to fill the one roster spot during this home stand.

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