Ankiel out with abdominal strain
NEW YORK — Cardinals center fielder Rick Ankiel felt a pull in his torso while legging out a double in the eighth inning Saturday and was a scratch from Sunday’s game because of what the team has called an abdominal strain.
Manager Tony La Russa had planned to start both Ankiel and Skip Schumaker in the outfield Sunday — two lefthanded hitters even against lefty start Johan Santana because “he’s hard on both” sides of the plate, La Russa said. But as the team arrived at Shea Stadium on Sunday morning, the manager learned of Ankiel’s continued soreness near his stomach.
La Russa said Ankiel first felt the pinch when he running on a double he hit off reliever Duaner Sanchez to lead off the eighth inning. Ankiel played the rest of the 14-inning, five-hour game “in distress,” La Russa said.
La Russa was not if Ankiel would be available to hit in Sunday’s game.
Ankiel received treatment before the game and is considered day-to-day until the severity of the injury is determined.
In other Sunday morning news … The Cardinals finalized the plan to have Chris Carpenter start Wednesday in Atlanta. General manager John Mozeliak arrived in New York on Sunday morning and said: “It’s going to happen.” Carpenter threw a standard bullpen session in St. Louis and he will join the team in Atlanta.
More later on StlToday.com and in Monday’s Post-Dispatch.
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
I’m not sure that Carp will boost the rotation so much in terms of numbers, but I think that mentally having him there will have a huge impact on the Cards.
I know that there has recently been alot of talk about when Wainer returns that the smart thing to do would be to put him at the back end of the pen to close games out. I, disagree I think that when Wainer returns he will be probably be the best pitcher on the team. By placing him in the pen you just create another hole in the rotation. So really you don’t gain much. I do think, however, that the Cards at some point should consider Carp as a closer. I would bring Carp back as a middle reliever. I think if he was able to throw the 7th inning to begin with then that would build some confidence in him. Then eventually he would become your closer. This would also lower his pitch count, opposed to him starting, and maybe his arm would last longer.