*Cardinals 1B Pujols suffers strained hamstring*
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ST. LOUIS (Ticker) - St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert
Pujols was forced to leave Sunday's game with a strained left
hamstring.
The only Cardinal to start all 55 games this season, Pujols
suffered the injury in the sixth inning while rounding second
base following a base hit.
The Cardinals will not know the extent of the injury until
Pujols undergoes an MRI on Monday. He is listed as day-to-day.
"When I hit the bag, I felt it get tight," said Pujols, who is
tied for the major league lead with 17 home runs. "When I tried
to take another step, that's when I felt like I pulled it. I
was in so much pain, I almost got thrown out at second."
St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said he did not think Pujols
suffered a tear.
"I'd be surprised if he's ready the next couple days, maybe even
the whole series," La Russa said. "If you told me right now
that he'd play next weekend, I'd take that immediately."
The Cardinals, who are two games behind first-place Cincinnati
in the NL West, begin a four-game series against the Chicago
Cubs on Monday.
"If I can't go, I don't want to push it," said Pujols, who is
batting .325 with 40 RBI. "I think I'm smarter than that."