Mulder Recovering From Surgery

Mark Mulder has been doing drills this spring while the St. Louis Cardinals' other pitchers throw fastballs. He's on the mend from rotator cuff surgery in September and has to complete a recovery program that is likely to keep him out of games until June or July. This is Mulder's second major injury. He herniated a disk in September 2000, putting an end to his rookie year.

It is likely Mulder would be the sole left-hander in the rotation if he returns to start this season. The current front-runners for the rotation -- Chris Carpenter, Kip Wells, Braden Looper, Adam Wainwright and Anthony Reyes -- are all right-handers. Last season, when Mulder's shoulder began bothering him, he went 6-7 with a 7.14 ERA. The Cardinals shut him down in August.

"I just want to start feeling right and be ready," Mulder said.
Source: AP