JUPITER, Fla. -- No matter how wild Rick Ankiel might be, the St. Louis Cardinals are willing to give him a chance.

Even though he shows signs of the control problems that derailed his promising career the past two years, the team is tantalized by Ankiel's left arm. They figure to find some role for him on their pitching staff.

Ankiel, an 11-game winner as a 20-year-old rookie in 2000, will probably start off as a specialist in the bullpen.

"You think a left-hander is really going to enjoy hitting against him?" manager Tony La Russa said, adding that "if he's really sharp he can pitch to the next guy, too."

Ankiel has made five relief appearances this spring, pitching effectively in two of them and struggling to find the plate at times in two.

His one-inning appearance Sunday against the Braves, his first road test, was a mixed bag. He struck out the first two batters, walked the next two on four pitches each, then settled down after a visit from catcher Mike Matheny and got the final out.

Overall, Ankiel has a spring ERA of 9.00, allowing six runs in six innings with seven walks and seven strikeouts.

"It's going good so far," Ankiel said. "It's good, I think. I get to get in there every three days instead of once every five days."

The Cardinals plan to have three lefties in the bullpen, giving Ankiel a good shot to make the roster. They have taken it easy on him this spring, pitching at home the first four times and always having him throw to Matheny, the team's steadiest catcher.

"It isn't anything we wouldn't do with somebody else," La Russa said. "If you've got a guy who's got impact talent, whether he's a hitter or a pitcher, you try to give him the very best of it that you can."

La Russa restated his belief that the genesis of Ankiel's woes came from working with reserve catcher Carlos Hernandez, instead of Matheny, who was injured for Game 1 of the NL division series in 2000 against Atlanta.

La Russa said Hernandez had very little reach because of his sore back, speculating that some of Ankiel's record five wild pitches in those playoffs might have been snared by a more nimble catcher.

"They really had a great working thing," La Russa said of the Ankiel-Matheny combination. "All of a sudden you throw him into the No. 1 game of his life, and he's got a new catcher.

"I think Carlos is a good catcher, but Carlos had a bad back."

La Russa tried to relieve some of the pressure on Ankiel that game, waiting until the last minute to announce that he would start the rookie in Game 1. The late decision allowed Ankiel to avoid talking to the media before his first postseason start.

Ankiel's wildness didn't subside in the playoffs. He threw nine wild pitches and walked 11 batters in four innings.

He started the 2001 season in the majors, going 1-2 with a 7.13 ERA and 24 walks in 25 innings before being demoted May 11. After walking 17 and throwing 12 wild pitches in 4 1-3 innings at Triple-A Memphis, Ankiel was sent to the rookie Appalachian League.

He did well there but didn't pitch last year because of a sprained left elbow that didn't require surgery.

"A lot has happened since then," La Russa said. "He's pulling it back together, and the more he understands his delivery the better it'll be.

"Based on the fact he's struggled and got outs, I feel he is getting a better feel for the adjustments he needs to make."

Ankiel was a starter in his brilliant rookie season. But he's appeared to embrace taking things one inning at a time, even after his outing Thursday, which he began by hitting a batter. He ended up throwing 15 balls and eight strikes.

"You can take a little more time as a starter out there," Ankiel said. In relief "you just get up and start firing."

If he struggles, La Russa won't hesitate to get him out of the game immediately -- which is much easier as a reliever than a starter.

"I can't think of one reliever that under normal game situations, if he's struggling you're just going to leave him out there," La Russa said. "You give him a hitter or two and they're gone.

"If he's struggling, go to the next one."