ST. LOUIS — For the second time this month, Albert Pujols is starting for the St. Louis Cardinals at third base. Anything to help manager Tony La Russa get another productive bat in there.

La Russa’s lineup on Tuesday night against the San Francisco Giants leaned heavily to offense and got Jon Jay, batting .390 his last 14 games and .343 overall, back into the mix. Lance Berkman moved from right field to first base and Jay started in right and batted second ahead of Pujols against Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong.

La Russa did more juggling about a half-hour before gametime, scratching Matt Holliday, who did not run well Monday in his first game back from a quadriceps injury that sidelined him for six starts. Allen Craig started in left field and Berkman moved to cleanup.

La Russa said he anticipated Pujols would be back at first base Wednesday when the Cardinals face Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum. He praised Pujols’ willingness to move around but didn’t want him playing too much at third base because he considers him one of the best first basemen in the majors.

“This is an example of a true superstar who’ll walk in and say, ‘Whenever you want to do that,” La Russa said. “We’re not able to take the long view here. Things are changing all the time.

“I don’t think it’s something we should ask him to do more than just a few times, but today’s one of those times.”

Pujols made his first start at third base since 2002 on May 16 at home against the Phillies and fielded five chances flawlessly. Pujols is a two-time Gold Glove winner at first base, and La Russa said defense wouldn’t be a problem at third.

“What can’t he do?” La Russa said. “He showed it to you his rookie year, right? He makes all the plays, he’s got a strong, accurate arm. In fact, he’s way above average.”

La Russa said Kyle McClellan would miss a turn in the rotation with a hip injury sustained in the first inning on Monday. Pitching coach Dave Duncan said McClellan appeared to make two awkward landings, and the first-year starter gave up seven runs in four innings.

La Russa said earlier that Holliday had orders to take it easy. Holliday had a chance to beat out a grounder that third baseman Miguel Tejada bobbled in the third inning Tuesday but wasn’t running full out.

“He’s been told when in doubt, take the out,” La Russa said. “We don’t want him to yank it again if we can help it.”

Third baseman David Freese took swings indoors for the first time since breaking his left hand on May 1. La Russa said Freese, who had been expected back in mid-July, was ahead of schedule.

“He’s one of our key guys,” La Russa said. “We’ve done a good job of covering for him but the sooner he gets back, the deeper we get.”

La Russa said the Cardinals brought back second baseman Skip Schumaker too soon from a right triceps injury because the team needed him. Schumaker, who started Tuesday and batted eighth, was 2 for 16 since coming off the 15-day disabled list on May 23.

“He took one for the team,” La Russa said. “We pushed him. We didn’t want to but we had to.”

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS—Albert Pujols is back at third base for the first time in 15 days.

Pujols is penciled in to start at third tonight against San Francisco Giants righthander Ryan Vogelsong in an effort to get hot-hitting Jon Jay in the lineup.

The lefthanded-hitting Jay, who leads the club with 17 hits over the past 10 games, will start in right field with Lance Berkman moving in to play first base.

“An example of a true superstar who would say, ‘Hey whatever you want to do,’ ” manager Tony La Russa said of Pujols accepting the move. “Not a whole lot of them would volunteer to move over at a demanding position, but he’s amazing.”

Just don’t get used to the idea, La Russa said.

“He’s a Gold Glove first baseman. He’s a key member of our defense,” La Russa said. “I don’t think it’s something we should ask him to do more than just a few times, but today is one of those times.”

Regular followers of Future Redbirds—that should be everyone who is fan enough of the St. Louis Cardinals to wonder about who will be wearing their uniforms in 2013—will have noticed a heretofore-unheralded name creeping across the Daily Farm Reports with increasing frequency back here in 2011. It’s Andrew Brown, who, two months into his AAA debut, is hitting .352/.435/.607. Best known before now as one of a number of sketchy sluggers who were, by virtue of playing first base, out of luck in St. Louis, Brown now spends most of his time in the outfield. 

At 26, Brown has always been old for his league and not quite impressive enough to merit a continued examination, but he’s peaking at the right moment, if still in the wrong organization; at 26 he has nowhere else to go, and the player with whom he’s switched positions, Nick Stavinoha, parlayed a similar career path into an admittedly halting and unsuccessful career as a bench cog. 

Brown is behind too many similar players on the depth chart—Allen Craig, Mark Hamilton, Stavinoha, with Matt Adams coming up behind him in AA—to forecast great things in the big leagues, but he’s put himself in a good position to reach the Majors somewhere at some point, which is more than could be said for him last year. 

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Kyle McClellan suffered through the worst outing of his first year in the St. Louis Cardinals’ rotation. A bad landing after an early pitch may have been a contributing factor.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said McClellan (6-2) tweaked his hip in the first inning of a 7-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Monday. McClellan, who has pounded the strike zone all season, walked Madison Bumgarner (2-6) on a full count right before Andres Torres hit his first career grand slam to cap a five-run fourth.

“I just think he was out of whack,” La Russa said. “He threw a lot of balls that weren’t near the glove and when we took him out he said he felt a little something in his hip.

“He didn’t say anything about feeling any discomfort but the whole time he pitched, he was fighting it.”

Bumgarner won his second straight after losing his first six decisions. Torres gave the National League’s worst offense a big boost, although they have hit their first two grand slams of the season in the last four games.

McClellan was knocked out after four innings, giving up all seven runs and missing a chance to tie for the major leagues’ victory lead. Albert Pujols hit his ninth homer and Allen Craig doubled twice with an RBI for the Cardinals.

McClellan said he simply left too many pitches up in the zone and wasn’t worried about the hip. He pitched at least five innings in all previous nine starts.

“I landed a little awkward in the first inning and it raised some concern,” McClellan said. “I’m pretty sure it was in the first inning. There’s nothing wrong.”

Cody Ross homered for the Giants, who are last in the National League in runs even after this outburst and had been shut out twice in the previous four games. Bumgarner, 4 for 19 as a hitter, doubled and scored on Miguel Tejada’s hit in the third, then walked ahead of Torres’ second homer of the season in the fourth.

“Walking the pitcher there killed me,” McClellan said. “I get him out, that changes everything.”

On the grand slam pitch, McClellan said he was trying to induce a double-play grounder.

“I tried to come in and I made a mistake and he hits it out,” McClellan said. “Just all in all, not a good game.”

Bumgarner scattered six hits in seven innings and struggled only in the third when he gave up three straight hits and both runs. It was his seventh straight outing of six or more innings with three or fewer runs allowed, compiling a 2.12 ERA during that stretch.

Torres, the Giants’ leadoff man, doubled his season RBI total when he drove an 0-1 pitch over the right field wall in the fourth and also doubled. San Francisco won easily despite going 1 for 18 after the grand slam and leaving the bases loaded in the fifth after three straight walks from Miguel Batista.

Matt Holliday singled in four trips after missing six starts with a quadriceps injury and is hitting .344, tied for the National League lead with teammate Lance Berkman, who was 0 for 4.

The Cardinals dropped to 9-2 in starts by McClellan, who has yielded a team-high nine homers. McClellan was behind in the count to eight of the first 10 hitters and both of his walks came in the Giants’ five-run fourth that made it 7-2.

“It just wasn’t what I’ve been the last few games,” McClellan said. “The majority of the year I’ve been aggressive getting ahead and keeping the ball down.”

Aaron Rowand of the Giants bruised his right hip when he was struck by the ball diving into second base on a pickoff attempt in the fifth and was taken out in the bottom of the inning. The team said he was day to day.

Pujols hit his 99th career homer at 6-year-old Busch Stadium off Ramon Ramirez in the eighth and had an RBI single in the third for his second multi-RBI game in the last four. Only seven players have 100 or more homers in their current stadium.

Pujols entered in a 3-for-20 slump and the homer was his first at home since April 23. He’s batting .262 with 30 RBIs, third on the team.

“He made the same contact he’s made a lot,” La Russa said. “He crushed the ball on the home run. He’s hit the ball a lot better than his average.”

Notes: Ross’ homer ended an 0-for-14 slump. … Attendance of 40,849 was the Cardinals’ second sellout. … St. Louis’ Ryan Theriot doubled in the third and has a 13-game hitting streak, tied for the longest active streak in the NL with the Giants’ Buster Posey, out for the season with a broken ankle. … McClellan allowed nine homers in 75 1-3 innings as a setup man last year, and has allowed nine in 67 2-3 innings this season. … Pujols has homered on May 30 five straight years.

By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Kyle McClellan suffered through the worst outing of his first year in the St. Louis Cardinals’ rotation. A bad landing after an early pitch may have been a contributing factor.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said McClellan (6-2) tweaked his hip in the first inning of a 7-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Monday. McClellan, who has pounded the strike zone all season, walked Madison Bumgarner (2-6) on a full count right before Andres Torres hit his first career grand slam to cap a five-run fourth.

“I just think he was out of whack,” La Russa said. “He threw a lot of balls that weren’t near the glove and when we took him out he said he felt a little something in his hip.

“He didn’t say anything about feeling any discomfort but the whole time he pitched, he was fighting it.”

Bumgarner won his second straight after losing his first six decisions. Torres gave the National League’s worst offense a big boost, although they have hit their first two grand slams of the season in the last four games.

McClellan was knocked out after four innings, giving up all seven runs and missing a chance to tie for the major leagues’ victory lead. Albert Pujols hit his ninth homer and Allen Craig doubled twice with an RBI for the Cardinals.

McClellan said he simply left too many pitches up in the zone and wasn’t worried about the hip. He pitched at least five innings in all previous nine starts.

“I landed a little awkward in the first inning and it raised some concern,” McClellan said. “I’m pretty sure it was in the first inning. There’s nothing wrong.”

Cody Ross homered for the Giants, who are last in the National League in runs even after this outburst and had been shut out twice in the previous four games. Bumgarner, 4 for 19 as a hitter, doubled and scored on Miguel Tejada’s hit in the third, then walked ahead of Torres’ second homer of the season in the fourth.

“Walking the pitcher there killed me,” McClellan said. “I get him out, that changes everything.”

On the grand slam pitch, McClellan said he was trying to induce a double-play grounder.

“I tried to come in and I made a mistake and he hits it out,” McClellan said. “Just all in all, not a good game.”

Bumgarner scattered six hits in seven innings and struggled only in the third when he gave up three straight hits and both runs. It was his seventh straight outing of six or more innings with three or fewer runs allowed, compiling a 2.12 ERA during that stretch.

Torres, the Giants’ leadoff man, doubled his season RBI total when he drove an 0-1 pitch over the right field wall in the fourth and also doubled. San Francisco won easily despite going 1 for 18 after the grand slam and leaving the bases loaded in the fifth after three straight walks from Miguel Batista.

Matt Holliday singled in four trips after missing six starts with a quadriceps injury and is hitting .344, tied for the National League lead with teammate Lance Berkman, who was 0 for 4.

The Cardinals dropped to 9-2 in starts by McClellan, who has yielded a team-high nine homers. McClellan was behind in the count to eight of the first 10 hitters and both of his walks came in the Giants’ five-run fourth that made it 7-2.

“It just wasn’t what I’ve been the last few games,” McClellan said. “The majority of the year I’ve been aggressive getting ahead and keeping the ball down.”

Aaron Rowand of the Giants bruised his right hip when he was struck by the ball diving into second base on a pickoff attempt in the fifth and was taken out in the bottom of the inning. The team said he was day to day.

Pujols hit his 99th career homer at 6-year-old Busch Stadium off Ramon Ramirez in the eighth and had an RBI single in the third for his second multi-RBI game in the last four. Only seven players have 100 or more homers in their current stadium.

Pujols entered in a 3-for-20 slump and the homer was his first at home since April 23. He’s batting .262 with 30 RBIs, third on the team.

“He made the same contact he’s made a lot,” La Russa said. “He crushed the ball on the home run. He’s hit the ball a lot better than his average.”

Notes: Ross’ homer ended an 0-for-14 slump. … Attendance of 40,849 was the Cardinals’ second sellout. … St. Louis’ Ryan Theriot doubled in the third and has a 13-game hitting streak, tied for the longest active streak in the NL with the Giants’ Buster Posey, out for the season with a broken ankle. … McClellan allowed nine homers in 75 1-3 innings as a setup man last year, and has allowed nine in 67 2-3 innings this season. … Pujols has homered on May 30 five straight years.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.