Ankiel

ST. LOUIS – Though the results don't show it, the St. Louis Cardinals feel Rick Ankiel is getting closer to recapturing his lost form each time out.

The 21-year-old left-hander, who is 1-2 with a 6.86 ERA and has walked almost a batter per inning, makes his sixth start of the season Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Numbers aside, manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan say there's reason for optimism.

La Russa said Wednesday that Ankiel is not in danger of being sent to the minors.

"I don't think this start is any more important than the other starts," La Russa said. "He's really working to get it right.

"The reason it's important is it's the next one."

La Russa said the biggest reason Ankiel won't be sent down anytime soon is he's one of the five best starting pitchers. Last year as a rookie, Ankiel was 11-7 with a team-leading 3.50 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 175 innings.

"I've already explained it several times and I hate to keep repeating myself, but one, Is there somebody better? Two, Does he feel like he's making progress, and do we agree?" La Russa said. "The bottom line is we need him."

Ankiel, who threw nine wild pitches in four postseason innings, has been tentative more than wild lately. He's had trouble cutting loose on his fastball for strikes, so he's counted more on his curveball lately.

"He's got to regain confidence," Duncan said. "The thing that happens until you get a little confidence is you're a little tentative."

In his last three outings, Ankiel hasn't lasted more than 4 1/3 innings and has given up 10 earned runs in 11 innings. In his last start Saturday in Atlanta, he couldn't hold a four-run lead and was pulled after 3 2/3 innings, during which he allowed four runs on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks.

For the season he's walked 20 batters in 21 innings, hit three more batters, and allowed seven home runs. He's also dominated in short stretches, striking out 25.

Duncan said Ankiel's workouts between starts have been the most encouraging aspect of his climb back.

"He's starting to really understand some things that are important to maintain a consistent delivery," Duncan said. "If he does make pitches that go where he doesn't want them to go, he's going to have a better understanding of how to make the correction."

One of the keys to success for Ankiel is working deliberately and not rushing his delivery.

"He still has a tendency to want to be a little quick and that gets him in a lot of trouble," Duncan said. "A better understanding of the delivery is going to help him keep the rhythm that works for him, and that's a lot of what we're working on."