X-ray on Craig's foot is negative

Source: St.self storage Louis Post-DispatchOct. 28--The text came at about 1:30 Sunday morning, or about three hours after the Cardinals' celebration for a Game 3 win turned to concern for the runner who won it for them.Allen Craig, who scored the winning run in a 5-4 victory and then had to be helped to his injured foot by teammates, had an X-ray taken after the game. The text, sent to general manager John Mozeliak, said the results showed no additional damage to the ligaments in Craig's left foot and that he could play in Game 4, if needed."It came back negative, which is good news," Mozeliak said. "He's still sore. It's really more a function now of a) pushing himself and b) landing a little bit awkward. Obviously we've got to be smart about that. We clearly don't want to leave him out on the basepaths too much."The cleanup hitter missed nearly seven weeks with a severely strained ligament in his left foot, damage that was diagnosed as a Lisfranc injury. After initially pushing his rehab, Craig had to ease back when a specialist told him in September that he risked the ligament rupturing and his foot's arch collapsing. Recovery from that injury would cost him part of next season. Craig returned for the World Series only when a specialist assured him that he couldn't damage the foot any further.Not entering the equation at the time was a mad dash home for a winning run.In the ninth inning Saturday, Craig launched a pinch-hit double and ran well to second. He advanced to third on a ground ball, and when the throw to third went wild, he got up to run home. He tripped over Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks and had to get back up before running home. A teammate described him as "flailing." Others described how he clearly was in pain. Craig was ruled safe at home because of Middlebrooks' obstruction, and Craig lay face down as his teammates arrived to celebrate. His foot was throbbing."It was an intensity and a duration that he hadn't been pushed (before)," manager Mike Matheny said. "Home to second -- he had to turn it up. Then pretty much a dead sprint to third base, and then everything he had left to go home. It's something he hadn't been doing."Matheny did not go to a pinch-runner for Craig because until Yadier Molina was thrown out at the plate, Craig was not the lead runner. Adam Wainwright would have pinch-run for Craig had the injured cleanup hitter been the winning run at third base.Craig said the foot was "pretty sore" about 30 minutes after his run. He went to have X-rays of the foot taken to determine if the ligament had been compromised or more damage done to the joint, Mozeliak said. Craig took grounders at first base as recently as Friday, and the Cardinals had hoped he could start at first base in Game 5 against Boston lefty Jon Lester. Mozeliak said he left the ballpark after Game 3 doubtful Craig would take the field.The text message at least left a faint possibility."I would have said it seemed like a long shot," Moze迷利倉iak said. "Now, every hour he gets more positive. He'll be available (off the bench). Given more time, we'll see."LINEUP MAKEUPMatheny continued to alternate starting shortstops in the World Series with Daniel Descalso again getting the start in the even-numbered Game 4. But that was not the only fine-tuning Matheny did to his lineup. Yadier Molina had three hits in Game 3 and also reached base with an intentional walk, a sign of the Sox pitching around Molina to test David Freese. Matheny planted Jon Jay at No. 6 behind Molina, moving Freese back to No. 7."Maybe a lefty back there -- we'll see how that changes things," Matheny said.MATHENY VALUES "HUMAN ELEMENT"With instant replay's presence likely to expand in 2014, Matheny struck a cautionary tone with how baseball needs to preserve "the human element" while exploring new technology. He spoke from his own experience as a catcher when QuesTec was introduced. The technology that measured strikes and balls allowed for baseball to grade umpires' strike zones and, Matheny said, changed the value of catchers like him who could frame pitches."When you start taking the human element out you start taking away from the skill set that a lot of these guys have developed," Matheny said. "I was in the league right when all of sudden questec came in (and) started monitoring the strike zone. I believe in accountability. But here's the bad part: All of a sudden a guy who hard worked really hard at making borderline pitches look good was getting the exact same strike zone as a guy who was an absolute bricklayer back there. He's back there swatting balls around and missing them and this guy is now compelled call it a strike. That's taking away from my value in this game, my skill set that I worked hard to do. Now, it's obsolete. You can put some guy back there that just blocks everything like a goalie and if it crosses the plate, they're going to have to call it a strike. It takes away. I think we have to be careful not to cross that line to where you're taking away from the skill of this game."EXTRA BASESHall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson threw out the ceremonial first pitch to 1967 World Series teammate Mike Shannon. ... Before Sunday's game, Hall of Famer Hank Aaron presented the trophy that carries his name to the two leading offensive performers in each league: Detroit's Miguel Cabrera and Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt. Cabrera led the AL with a .348 average and Goldschmidt topped the NL in homers and RBIs. ... The Cardinals and Red Sox tied a World Series record by using 12 pitchers on Saturday night in a nine-inning game. ... So Taguchi, the former Cardinals outfielder, interviewed his former manager Tony La Russa on the field before Sunday's game as part of his role as a color commentator for a Japanese network's coverage of the World Series.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at .stltoday.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉