Weaver stays in rotation for now

~ The right-hander has allowed 18 runs in 18 2/3 innings for St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS -- Jeff Weaver's latest rough start and a four-outing track record of giving up nearly a run per inning is not enough to bounce him out of a St. Louis Cardinals rotation that has had struggles across the board.

Weaver gave up seven runs in 3 1/3 innings in a 16-8 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night. In four starts with the Cardinals since being acquired from the Angels in early July after being designated for assignment he's 1-2 and has allowed 18 runs and 32 hits in 18 2/3 innings.

A 14-game winner last year, Weaver is 4-12 with a 6.71 ERA overall.

"Is he the only guy struggling?" Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "No, he's not. We're looking at everybody that's struggling and trying to get them right. I think when his turn comes up, he'll start."

Only Chris Carpenter, 10-5 with a 2.93 ERA, has been consistent.

Jason Marquis, who started Thursday night, has given up double-digit runs in two outings and had an unsightly 5.67 ERA to go with 12 wins. Jeff Suppan has pitched better lately but his ERA is 5.07. Injured left-hander Mark Mulder, who is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Sunday from a shoulder injury that has sidelined him since mid-June, has a 6.09 ERA.

Overall, the team ERA was 4.59.

La Russa pointed out that in Weaver's second start, he allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings to get a victory over the Dodgers. The outing after that, he gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings and got no decision in a 5-4 loss to the Cubs. In his debut, he gave up a grand slam to Brian McCann of the Braves and gave up six runs in four innings.

"He's done enough things in a positive way that you can see that he's got the potential to help us," La Russa said. "Yesterday I thought he pitched better than the numbers by a little, but he got himself in trouble by not pitching well.

"He's got some proving to do, and we'll see how it goes."

Weaver said his biggest problem is throwing too many pitches, getting behind in the count and then giving in. He also said he's been overthrowing at times. But he doesn't think pitch selection is at the root of his problem.

"My stuff is definitely fine," he said. "For the most part it's tough to do that when you put pressure on yourself to do it each and every time you go out there.

"Things are bound to happen and that's what happened."

Weaver also bemoaned bad luck in Wednesday's start. Ryan Howard broke his bat on a two-run single in the second inning, and Weaver thought David Dellucci's opposite-field two-run home run into the Phillies bullpen in the fourth was going to be just a routine fly ball.

"It's just the craziness of baseball and fighting through a slump," Weaver said. "You make quality pitches and break bats and balls fall in and you're trying to get a fly ball to left and the ball's hit to left and just carries out.

"It's just one of those things where you've got to just keep fighting and work through things."

La Russa didn't want to talk about possible alternatives.

"The process is pretty much the same; we're going to try and take our best shot to win," he said. "I think the guys are here, you try to get them better."

Mulder, a 16-game winner last year in his first season with the Cardinals but only 6-5 this season, could provide some help soon. He had no problems in a three-inning simulated game Tuesday and is scheduled to make the first of perhaps two rehab starts for Class A Quad Cities on Sunday.

"I thought he made a lot of throws that looked good to me," La Russa said. "Whatever that means."