Spring training scoreboard

St. Louis Cardinals: Albert Pujols, the NL Rookie of the Year last season, left the St. Louis Cardinals' exhibition game Thursday with a sprained left ankle after stepping awkwardly on the bag at first in Jupiter, Fla.

	Pujols

Pujols was trying to beat out a grounder to third in the second inning against Philadelphia's Brandon Duckworth when he was hurt.

He was down for several minutes in foul territory just outside of first before leaving the game.

He stayed in the dugout for a while, then left with his bats and glove with trainer Barry Weinberg to put ice on the injury.

"It looked scary to all of us," manager Tony La Russa said. "The fact he walked off, I think he was more upset at himself than anything else. I think there isn't anything serious there."

Weinberg said Pujols' status was day to day and that he will be evaluated Friday. Pujols left the stadium without talking to reporters.

"He was a little sore and minimally swollen when he left, and he walked out of here relatively OK," Weinberg said. "Hopefully it's a minimal time."

Pujols, 22, batted .329 with 37 homers and an NL-rookie record 130 RBI last year. He was the ninth unanimous choice as Rookie of the Year.

Meanwhile, injury-prone right fielder J.D. Drew, who's missed five Grapefruit League games with a sprained left ankle, is expected back in the lineup by the weekend at the latest.

Drew, who injured himself during warmups, said he won't wear an air cast, or even an ankle brace, when he returns.

"It's too much of an inconvenience to me," he said. "I need to be mobile. I hope I can just tape it up real good. Besides, I can hardly get a shoe on with this thing."

On the mound, St. Louis closer Jason Isringhausen, making his first appearance in six days, threw a scoreless inning in the victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Isringhausen, who sat out because of tightness in his forearm, needed only 10 pitches to get through the inning, his second of the spring.

"Physically, he was great," pitching coach Dave Duncan said. "He wants to pitch again tomorrow. I don't know, we'll see. We'll talk to the trainers about that and see if it's a wise thing."

Colorado Rockies: Colorado Rockies right-hander Scott Elarton returned to Denver on Thursday to have his right shoulder examined by Dr. Richard Hawkins, the club's medical director.

Elarton was to be examined on Friday at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail.

Elarton, one of four candidates for the No. 5 spot in the Rockies rotation, missed his scheduled exhibition debut Monday with what was initially believed to be "dead arm." An MRI on Tuesday disclosed inflammation and tendinitis in his rotator cuff.

Elarton, 17-7 with Houston in 2000, went a combined 4-10 with Houston and Colorado last season. Acquired by the Rockies on July 31 for Pedro Astacio, Elarton spent six weeks on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis, which apparently is unrelated to his current injury.

Hampton gets rocked: Mike Hampton walked five batters in the first inning and allowed five runs in 1 1-3 innings yet got a no-decision as Colorado lost 9-8 to the San Diego Padres on Thursday.

The Padres jumped to a 4-0 lead as Hampton struggled. Two batters who spent last season in the minor leagues, Scott Morgan and Kevin Eberwein, drew bases-loaded walks. Ron Gant, Hampton's teammate in Colorado early last season, added an RBI double, and Cesar Crespo singled home a run.

Hampton got off the hook, however, when Todd Zeile hit a grand slam off left-hander Cliff Bartosh in the fifth inning to stake the Rockies to a 6-5 lead.

New York Yankees: First baseman Jason Giambi's left hamstring still hasn't healed, and he won't return to the lineup until at least Saturday.

	Giambi

"It's not as good as you want it to be," manager Joe Torre said before Thursday's game against Tampa Bay. "It's not an injury. It's tightness in there."

Giambi missed two games last week because of left hamstring tightness, and his leg stiffened during Monday's game against Minnesota.

"It's healing," Giambi said. "Just want to make sure."

The Yankees, who originally thought Giambi would return Thursday, plan to use him as their designated hitter Saturday against the Devil Rays.

Meanwhile, shortstop Derek Jeter could resume live batting practice by the weekend. He has been out since Sunday because of a strained neck muscle and probably won't play until next week. ... Reliever Ramiro Mendoza felt continued discomfort in his neck when he tried to play catch Thursday. "We're on hold there," Torre said. "I don't know when he'll be able to pitch." ... Outfielder Rondell White, sidelined by a left rib cage strain, is expected to begin twisting exercises Friday. Barring any setbacks, he could begin swinging a bat sometime in the next few days.

New York Mets: Gary Carter will return for a second season as a roving catcher instructor for the New York Mets.

Carter, who narrowly missed being voted into the Hall of Fame this year, will join the Mets in spring training for five days later this month.

Carter will be with the Mets from March 19-22 and again on March 28 and 29. During the regular season he will travel to the six minor league clubs in the Mets organization.

Carter played with the Mets from 1985-89 and hit 324 home runs and had a .262 career batting average during his career. Carter missed making the Hall of Fame by 11 votes this year.

Oakland Athletics: Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Cory Lidle is experimenting with a new pitch -- the slider -- this spring, and it's beginning to show results.

Lidle threw six of them in a victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks recently and liked what he saw.

"It's only the second time I've ever used it in a game," he said. "It's basically to use against righties. I need it to help me get them out."

Lidle began working on the slider the day he reported to camp this spring. A's pitching coach Rick Peterson suggested it to him, and it's been in development ever since.

"Rick showed me how to hold the ball, what to do with it and how to think," Lidle said. "I'm still not comfortable with it, but I will keep working on it. If I stick with it, by the All-Star break it will be a pitch I feel comfortable throwing in any count."

That's not exactly what AL hitters want to hear from a pitcher who went 12-2 with a 2.72 ERA after July 1 last year.

Lidle actually tried to throw the slider when he was in the minors, but never got proper instruction and wound up hurting his elbow.

Houston Astros: Wade Miller pitched four scoreless innings in his second spring start to help the Houston Astros defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 Thursday.

"I felt good today. All my pitches seem to be working," Miller said. "Things seem to be coming together a little quicker for me this year over last year."

Miller had a breakout season in his first full year in the major leagues last season with a 16-8 record that earned him the opening day start this season.

Daryle Ward's two-out double to right field gave the Astros a 1-0 lead in the third inning, and the Astros took advantage of Dodgers errors in the fourth and fifth innings to add unearned runs.

Hideo Nomo started for the Dodgers and gave up one run and three hits with one walk and two strikeouts. He was the loser.