5:10 update: After a pregame workout, Brendan Ryan was determined to be ready for action tonight and will start the game at shortstop.

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PITTSBURGH _ St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan, sidelined since July 30 after fouling a ball off his left ankle, thinks he’s ready to come back to the lineup tonight here against the Pittsburgh Pirates but manager Tony La Russa has left the eighth spot vacant in his lineup until he sees Ryan run in pre-game warmups. If Ryan needs another day or two, Julio Lugo, who is listed as the second baseman, will slide over to shortstop and Skip Schumaker will play second and bat eighth, where Ryan would have hit.

“I don’t think it’s going to change in the next week,” said Ryan of his ankle, which has considerably less swelling than it had before. “But it’s been long enough.

“As long as I stay on it. . . I probably won’t sit down the whole game. If I sit down, it stiffens up a liittle more.”

There still is some swelling but Ryan said, “:You can start to see the ankle a little bit. It was like two ankles.”

La Russa said there no longer was any thought being given to putting Ryan on the disabled list,  figuring that Ryan would be able to play sometime this weekend.

While not listing Ryan in the batting order, La Russa also hasn’t listed Ryan with the extra men. “A purgatory, of sorts,” said Ryan, smiling.

The lineups (again, with Ryan now confirmed as starting shortstop):

Cardinals:

Julio Lugo 2b

Rick Ankiel cf

Albert Pujols 1b

Matt Holliday lf

Ryan Ludwick rf

Mark DeRosa 3b

Yadier Molina c

Brendan Ryan ss

Chris Carpenter p

Pittsburgh:

Andrew McCutchen cf

Lastings Milledge lf

Garrett Jones rf

Ryan Doumit c

Delwyn Young 2b

Steve Pearce 1b

Andy LaRoche 3b

Ronny Cedeno ss

Paul Maholm p