Berkman scratched, but feels 'good'

JUPITER, Fla. - Lance Berkman knows the panic probably going on in the streets of St. Louis.

With Adam Wainwright out for the year and pitchers Chris Carpenter and Mitchell Boggs having to leave games injured earlier in the week, Berkman was scratched from the lineup for a second straight day Friday with tightness in his left calf.

He's also been dealing with a sore left elbow, leaving some to wonder if the 35-year-old Berkman will be injury plagued all season.

But speaking following a simulated game in which he took former Cardinals pitcher and current coach Cal Eldred over the wall for a home run, Berkman did his best to calm the nerves of Cardinal Nation.

"I know everybody is like, 'Oh my gosh this guy can't get on the field,' especially with the last couple of years having missed some time with injuries," Berkman said. "But the reality is this is nothing close to those things. It's just a spring training precaution.

"I feel good. The thing about spring training, especially as an older player, there's no sense in forcing the issue. I had a little elbow soreness and then my calf got tight on me but it's not something that would normally happen. It's just a little sore and I think this is a case of better to be real, real safe than let something linger."

A two-hour bus ride to Kissimmee for today's game against the Astros likely wouldn't have helped his tight calf muscle. So instead of pushing it, the Cardinals decided to take the safe route and let him get his work done back in Jupiter.

Berkman played catch and took batting practice before stepping into the box for several at-bats during a simulated game. His left elbow, which bothered him enough to where the Cardinals used him as the designated hitter Tuesday and had him limit his throwing for a few days, "felt as good as its felt since I've been here," on Friday.

His calf tightened up Tuesday after he underwent a lengthy leg work out in the gym and had to run hard on three ground balls in the game. But Berkman downplayed both injuries, saying that all parties involved were just being cautious.

"I imagine I'll be in there tomorrow, I don't see why there would be any problem with me being in there," Berkman said. "I felt good. If it was a regular season game today I would have played. It's not an issue.

"There's a difference between being in shape and being in baseball shape and that's what spring training is all about, getting your body prepared to take the field every single day. It's part of the process. I would have loved to not have any soreness at all and been great from the first day, but the reality is that didn't happen."

The Cardinals signed Berkman to a one-year, $8 million contract in the offseason. He homered in his first at-bat of the spring on Monday.

Friday would have been his first game against the Astros since leaving Houston to join the Yankees in a trade last year, but Berkman said, "We're going to see them 18 times for real so I'll get plenty of opportunities to play against them and see the guys over there."