Cardinals’ Pujols hits the 15-day disabled list

A strained left calf has the St. Louis slugger on the bench.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Albert Pujols is something of an expert at managing pain, dealing with a torn right elbow ligament since 2004. He’s played almost every day throughout his career, ignoring injuries that might have sidelined those with a lower tolerance level.

This was different.

Pujols’ strained left calf landed him on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday for only the second time in his career.

“I get paid to play games,” the St. Louis Cardinals star said Friday. “If I feel I can run and swing a little bit I’m going to be out there playing.”

Before this DL stint, Pujols had missed only 43 of 1,199 possible games since making his major league debut in 2001. Only five players appeared in more games over that stretch, and Pujols’ style is one that invites injury.

“He’s a big, muscled guy and he’s on the bases all the time,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He plays actively on defense and runs the bases, so he gets some soreness.”

Pujols collapsed in agony on his second step out of the batter’s box in Cincinnati on Tuesday and was certain he had torn the calf muscle off the bone. He felt pain all the way up his leg and got one hour of sleep that night.

“It hurt so bad, even my hamstring was hurting,” Pujols said. “I was sore all over. I saw the pictures and all the inflammation and it was crazy.”

He got some relief Wednesday when he was diagnosed with a moderate strain after he was examined in St. Louis. Some relief, anyway, for a player enjoying another big year even though he’s surrounded by largely unproven talent.

Pujols’ .475 on-base percentage was second best in the major leagues. He was third in the NL with a .347 average and among the league leaders with 60 RBIs.

The first baseman’s usual brilliance was a key reason the surprising Cardinals (40-28) entered a weekend series against the Phillies tied with Philadelphia for the second-best record in the National League.

“It’s disappointing, man,” Pujols said. “I’m having a good year, the team is having a good year and we’re playing great. But what can you say? Everything happens for a reason and I’ll just relax and make sure I do whatever I have to do to come back soon.”

The Cardinals split the first two games without their star, beating the Reds 10-0 the day after Pujols was hurt. St. Louis managed fine without Pujols in 2006, going 8-7 when he missed 15 games with a pulled muscle on his right side.