Wainwright to start Friday

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals decided to plug Adam Wainwright into their rotation instead of as the fill-in closer, and will give him a start Friday against the Atlanta Braves.

Wainwright, the opening-day starter and 6-3 with a 3.14 ERA, has been on the 15-day disabled list since early June with a ruptured tendon in the middle finger of his right hand. He threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings in his third rehab start last week, and on Tuesday after a bullpen session told manager Tony La Russa and reporters he was ready to pitch in the majors, saying another rehab effort would be "wasting game bullets."

"I expect to go out and compete and do very well just like I would before I got hurt," Wainwright said Wednesday. "I feel the same -- I feel maybe stronger."

La Russa said team medical personnel and pitching coach Dave Duncan all agreed it was time to bring back the right-hander.

"He feels really good, feels like he's 100 percent ready to go," La Russa said. "He's an important guy on our staff. We've missed him and it's his day to pitch."

Wainwright bumps Joel Pineiro, who had been on track to make the start Friday. La Russa said Pineiro, who is 3-0 in August and 6-5 overall with a 4.80 ERA, would be used in long relief if necessary if Wainwright falters.

Wainwright didn't think stamina would be an issue, though, after throwing 65 pitches for Class AA Springfield on Friday and leaving the game feeling he had a few more innings in his arm.

"My legs feel good, my arm feels great, so everything is a go," Wainwright said.

The middle finger is a key to Wainwright's grip on his curveball, and was injured by repeatedly locking onto the ball. Now he said it was "perfect."

"I'm snapping the ball as hard if not harder than I have all year," he said, and added jokingly, "It's the strongest middle finger in the league."

Both Wainwright and the Cardinals reiterated that he did not demand to be restored to the rotation. Wainwright was the stand-in closer during the team's 2006 World Series run after Jason Isringhausen underwent hip surgery.