The Cardinals entered Wednesday night's play with a 2 1/2-game lead in the National League Central Division despite not having a victory from righthanded aces Adam Wainwright, who is injured, and Chris Carpenter, and with three-time most valuable player Albert Pujols hitting .231. Former closer Ryan Franklin had blown four out of five save opportunities. Manager Tony La Russa, asked if he could have envisioned being in first place under such circumstances, said, "You would know it's possible but it wouldn't be what you expect. It says a lot about the depth and pitching on the ballclub." Among the pitching lifts has been righthander Kyle McClellan, who was pulled from the bullpen when Wainwright had elbow surgery this spring. McClellan is 4-0 and the club is 6-0 in his first six appearances, with one of them a six-inning relief job when he entered after a long rain delay. Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/base...cle_09c4b4b1-22b6-5886-a318-244839079d7b.html
