GRAND CENTER — It was about 300 at-bats ago center fielder Rick Ankiel made his debut as a major-league outfielder, and tonight’s home run was his 18th since he made his return on August 9, 2007.  Track that statistics from that day forward and Ankiel ranks with baseball’s best sluggers — and one sudden star coming to town this week — in such numbers as homers, RBIs and slugging.

From August 9 until the start of…

DENVER — Cardinals lefty Mark Mulder is on his way to St. Louis — not to throw a bullpen or workout at the facilities at Busch Stadium, but to meet with the team’s doctor about his twice surgically repaired left shoulder.

Manager Tony La Russa said in the debriefing of Mulder’s rehab start Monday night in Memphis it mentioned the lefty “felt some shoulder fatigue.” Mulder will meet with Dr. George Paletta on Wednesday morning…

DOWNTOWN – Not too often the Cardinals wake up on the last day of April with a chance to make a little franchise history. But that’s the case today.

The Cardinals won their 17th game of April last night against the Reds. It came in a 7-2 victory that saw manager Tony La Russa tinker just enough with his lineup to add depth of power and watch it work. That win tied a franchise record for…

TOWER GROVE — The Cardinals jet off on their first road trip of the season having let so few of their opposing hitters take flight at all this season. Much has been made of the Cardinals rotation’s sub-1.00 ERA through six games and the staff as a whole has an ERA of 1.83, better than every team in baseball save the LA Dodgers and their 1.70.

That’s the macro picture. The micro is even more…

JUPITER, Fla. — Manager Tony La Russa could not officially confirm it for the two players in question, but he couldn’t ignore the obvious any longer.

La Russa approached both pitcher Kyle McClellan and outfielder Brian Barton to tell them they are going to make the major-league team and caution them that there is a reason he kept his hands in his pockets as they talked. See, there are things that can happen in the next…

JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals placed seven players Tuesday on the disabled list for the opening week of the regular season, but the list was noteworthy for who wasn’t on it as much as who was.

Brendan Ryan was not placed on the disabled list and the Cardinals believe that he could be ready for opening day despite the lost time because of soreness in his right rib cage.

“He’s feeling better,” GM John Mozeliak said….

JUPITER, Fla. — Continuing what’s become a lengthier — even arduous — grind back to a major-league rotation, Cardinals right hander Matt Clement made his first appearance in a game Tuesday, throwing for the Cardinals Double-A affiliate.

Clement threw 37 pitches and walked four of the seven batters he faced. While his command was flighty and his velocity sat in the mid-80s — according to the radar gun the Cardinals kept — his pitches all…

JUPITER, Fla. — Cardinals starter Mark Mulder passed another mile marker in his lengthy trek back to the rotation by throwing batting practice to three minor leaguers early Saturday morning. The lefty threw 30 pitches and improved tremendously from the first batch of 15 to the second.

“I could come away and say my command wasn’t very good but I didn’t really think it was going to be,” Mulder said. ”Did I make a handful of…

JUPITER, Fla. — A year ago at the Civil Rights Game, a Cardinals fan — a man Adam Wainwright knew only through his father — approached the Cardinals righthander about giving him a gift. He wanted him to have a baseball, a prized ball, one of two he owned.

It was signed by Johnny Sain.

The phrase scrawled in Sain’s handwriting near his autograph says it all:

“First to pitch to Jackie Robinson. Last to pitch…

JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals top prospect and one of the top impact surprises of spring training were among six players sent to Triple-A on the eve of the club’s only off day this spring, a sure sign of a roster taking shape with less than two weeks to play.

Colby Rasmus and Joe Mather will report to the Memphis Redbirds camp on Wednesday, where they will be joined by pitcher Mike Parisi, catcher Mark…