Cardinals to place Wainwright on DL

ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright will be placed on the 15-day disabled list today.

The St. Louis ace injured his right middle finger while pitching in Houston on Saturday. He was examined Monday and found to have a sprain. It wasn't immediately clear how many starts Wainwright would miss. The Cardinals said the move will be retroactive to Sunday.

Wainwright is 6-3 with a 3.14 ERA this season.

Also Monday, the Cardinals announced that three other players battling injuries -- pitchers Joel Pineiro and Todd Wellemeyer and outfielder Rick Ankiel -- most likely will rejoin the team this week in Cincinnati. The Cardinals and Reds open a three-game series today.