DENVER • Deposed closer Ryan Franklin said he plans to return to his late-inning role and understands the only route back is through mop-up innings like Saturday.
Franklin pitched 2 2/3 scoreless frames to show his improvement and save the other relievers in the Cardinals' ugly 15-4 loss at Coors Field. The outing gave him back-to-back scoreless appearances for the first time this season.
"Right now it's just a matter of taking steps to where I was as the closer," said Franklin, who shaved his ERA from 9.20 to 7.79 with his second-longest outing of the season. "The last couple times have been steps. I think the whole thing is getting out there now and getting more pitching under my belt in game situations.
Franklin relieved starter Jaime Garcia in the fourth inning Saturday and retired the first seven batters he faced, three by strikeouts. The veteran did not throw a cutter or split-finger fastball during his outing as he continues to simplify his approach. The appearance was Franklin's first in eight days.
The lack of work has been tricky — "You're not going to be as sharp as you want to be after that much time off," he said — but is part of his new role as long reliever. During the breaks between outings, Franklin has refined elements of his delivery, which went astray as he blew four saves and exited April with a 10.12 ERA.
Manager Tony La Russa compares Franklin's path back to late-inning assignments like that of a leadoff hitter who starts slow or a cleanup hitter who gets reassigned to lower in the order to find his swing.
"Like a hitter struggling," La Russa said. "You know he can hit. You just change the look, give him a different mindset for a bit and refresh. … I anticipate Ryan having an important part with the pen. He can do too many things."
La Russa stopped short of saying that could be as closer.
"I can see him contributing to us winning games," he said.
garcia's plight
La Russa called Saturday's unsteady start by Jaime Garcia an "impossible situation" for the team and the pitcher. Garcia was rocked for six runs in the first inning, yet La Russa said they had to stick with him to avoid shredding the bullpen for Sunday's game and the seven-game home stand that starts today. Garcia allowed 12 runs, threw 106 pitches and finished 3 1/3 innings, and with help from Franklin kept the Cardinals from using Eduardo Sanchez or Fernando Salas, both of whom were needed to win Sunday.
"It's impossible to make anything good come out of that (muck). It's a shame," La Russa said. "What can you do? It's one of the worst situations you get into — burying a starter, especially a guy having a good year."
INJURY UPDATES
Though he was not used as a pinch hitter Sunday, outfielder Matt Holliday completed another aggressive running workout and feels like he'll be ready to start today after missing two series with a strain in his left quadriceps. La Russa said if he doesn't start Holliday this afternoon against San Francisco he'll at least "appear in the lineup sometime early in this series against the Giants."
A day after being removed from the game with tightness in his elbow, lefty Brian Tallet threw 25 pitches in an inning of work late Saturday night. On Sunday, the lefty said he felt no additional pain in his elbow. Albert Pujols left Saturday's game early because of soreness in his left shoulder. Pujols jammed the joint trying to make a diving play on a grounder.
KOZma'S PLACE
Though La Russa conceded that rookie Pete Kozma's development might benefit more from regular playing time in Class AAA, the infielder provides required depth on the big-league bench. As long as Allen Craig continues to start at second base, La Russa wants an infielder available for late-game defensive replacement, and by having Kozma around that leaves two infielders available after the move.
The Cardinals recently cleared off two spots on the 40-man roster, but not being one of the 38 works against a veteran utility infielder like Ramon Vazquez. The lefthanded hitter is batting .270 with a .360 on-base percentage in Class AAA Memphis, but "it's not an easy fix" to put him on the roster to be that seasoned additional infielder, La Russa said. "Hopefully Kozma is here and only goes down because Nick Punto (elbow) is activated," the manager explained.
EXTRA BASES
Shortstop Ryan Theriot extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the first inning. Theriot's streak matches the longest by a Cardinal this season. He's 18 for 50 (.360) during the streak and has raised his average from .280 to .302. … Sunday's game was the last time during the regular season that the Cardinals will play in the two western-most time zones in the league. They don't have another game west of Houston.
