After throwing some 85 pitches this afternoon at Busch Stadium, about 60 of them to St. Louis Cardinals hitters Chris Duncan, Jason LaRue and Khalil Greene, righthander Kyle Lohse said he felt good enough that he thought he would be ready for a minor-league start next week on a rehabilitation program. If that went well, Lohse, who has been out since June 3 with a strained forearm flexor, might be able to pitch for the Cardinals in the last week before the All-Star break, which comes  on July 13.

“I got a little tired at the end, with the heat and everything,” said Lohse, who has made only one start since May 23 because of forearm problems. “But i’m ready to go on a rehab now, I think.

“It went way better than the bullpens I’ve been throwing. I guess I needed some hitters in there. I got the ball down. The ball was moving _ curveball, slider, changeup.”

Lohse was 4-4 before he went on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his nine-season career. He said he expected to be pitching for Class AA Springfield next week although he admitted, “My goals and (the Cardinals’) goals might be different.

“They just want to make sure I’m ready and not rushed and I’ve got to respect that. We’re playing good ball and I’m not going out there and think I’m going to save the day and then blow it for us down the stretch if I’m not 100 percent ready.”