No practice leaves bullpen defenseless

ST. LOUIS -- If any St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher comes to the plate, he's liable to look like more of an automatic out than usual.

This year, the team isn't allowing members of the bullpen to take batting practice because it doesn't want anyone to get injured. They're certainly not hurting the opposition, going a collective 1-for-17 with nine strikeouts.

"They don't want us to swing, and it shows," middle reliever Gene Stechschulte said. "You would think it would be good to at least see a ball every once in a while."

Repetition, grooving that swing, is the key to hitting. Good-hitting pitchers are rare because most of their focus is on their arms.

Non-existent is more like it in the Cardinals' bullpen. Manager Tony La Russa saw danger lurking in the batting cage after an injury, possibly hitting-related, to starter Woody Williams. Williams, one of the best-hitting pitchers in the majors, strained a muscle in his side and landed on the disabled list for 1 1-2 months.

So La Russa put a stop to it for the relievers.

"They're not swinging enough and they end up running the risk of overdoing it taking big swings," La Russa said. "What we do is occasionally bunt. If you're only going to get a few swings anyway, how much good does it do you?"

Anway, La Russa believes batting practice for the bullpen is a lark, mostly a chance to have a long-ball contest.

"They all have a good time," La Russa said. "That's the problem, they have too good of a time."

KLINE RECOVERING: Reliever Steve Kline, on the disabled list with a strained triceps muscle since April 29, will make at least one more rehab appearance before the team activates him.

Kline had been hopeful of joining the team on Monday after two outings with Class A Peoria. He has a 3.72 ERA and one save in 11 games.