Lance Berkman was scratched Tuesday from the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup ahead of their 7-6 win over the Chicago Cubs, but it apparently had nothing to do with his lingering calf injury. Manager Mike Matheny told Jenifer Langosch afterward that it was more a matter of giving Berkman a day off against the left-handed Paul Maholm and getting both David Freese and Matt Carpenter into that afternoon game. Carpenter, Berkman's primary backup at first base back in April, ended up with a crucial home run—his third of the season—although Freese went 0-5.

Berkman is 3-9 with a double since returning from the calf injury in Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Braves. On the season he's hitting .344/.462/.500—or, less misleadingly, 11-32 with three doubles, a triple, and six walks in nine games. In 2011 he hit .301/.412/.547 in 145 games, setting an unlikely career high at 35 with an OPS+ of 164. He's likely to find himself in a de facto platoon with the right-handed Allen Craig so long as he's favoring his calf and the Cardinals can't find at-bats for Craig elsewhere.