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| Cardinals outfielder Allen Craig bashed two home runs in the Cardinals 7-2 win on Wednesday and may find himself playing some center field in the near future. - Photo courtesy of Getty Images |
After a long two month recovery from the injury, Craig finally returned to the Cardinals lineup on August 10th. Since returning Craig had seen very little playing time and had yet to get a hit in nine plate appearances.
On Wednesday, manager Tony La Russa gave Craig the start in right field and the 27 year old took advantage of the opportunity.
Craig was 4 for 5 on the night with a pair of home runs and three RBI's as the Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2.
Craig's bat provided just the kind of boost the Cardinals needed on Wednesday as they try and keep pace with the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers.
La Russa does face what many would call a "fortunate" problem. The manager has too many quality bats with very little flexibility to get them all in the lineup. As a corner outfielder, it is difficult for Craig to find at bats with the likes of Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman on the roster.
But La Russa, who is always looking to experiment, will do his best to find spots for Craig in the lineup. It is unlikely that Craig will be penciled in at second base again, but the manager did tell Laura Myers of MLB.com that Craig could see some time in center field in order to get his bat in the lineup.
"The right ballpark, the right time, and we want to keep Lance [Berkman] in there," La Russa said. "I think when he's running normally. We'll have to judge for sure that he's running normal."
No matter where Craig shows up in the lineup he is likely to be productive at the plate. Wednesday night's two home run performance against the Pirates is all the proof needed to know that Craig could be an impact bat for the Cardinals for the next several seasons.
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