Ankiel takes walk on the wild side

JUPITER, Fla. -- St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Rick Ankiel, hoping to reclaim his role as one of the major league's most dangerous pitchers, had a wobbly outing Monday, throwing just three strikes in 26 batting-practice pitches.

"I'm a little frustrated, but I have to think positive," Ankiel said.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa shrugged off the showing, noting that Ankiel "was a little out of whack but he wasn't missing by much."

"That happens to a lot of pitchers," La Russa said. "It isn't anything that we are worried about."

The former phenom has looked steady in previous outings this spring training as he tries to earn a spot as a reliever or starter. On Friday, Ankiel threw to hitters for the first time in spring training and kept batters flailing during a 40-pitch performance.

Ankiel arrived in 2000 at age 19 with a mid-90s fastball and a nasty curve that teammate Mark McGwire nicknamed the "snapdragon." Those tools produced 11 victories and more than a strikeout per inning before wildness and an elbow injury derailed his career for nearly three seasons.

During the 2000 playoffs he threw nine wild pitches and walked four in only four innings. Then came a pair of elbow injuries, the second requiring reconstructive surgery that forced him out for a year.

Ankiel appeared in five late-season games last year and earned his first victory since early in the 2001 season, and La Russa even briefly considered him for the postseason roster.