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  Mon, June 20, 2011


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Pujols out 4-to-6 weeks
By SPORTS NETWORK


Albert Pujols will be out of the Cards' lineup for 4-to-6 weeks. (REUTERS/John Sommers II)


ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is slated to miss 4-to-6 weeks after suffering a fracture in his left arm.

Pujols left Sunday's game against Kansas City after an apparent left wrist injury, which was termed a sprain following the contest.

However, the results of an MRI exam and CT scan taken Monday revealed a non-displaced fracture of his left radius, one of the two bones in the forearm.

One good sign from the examinations was that no structural damage was revealed in his left shoulder, although it showed signs of soreness.

In the top of the sixth inning of the Cards' 5-4 victory, the Royals' Wilson Betemit hit a grounder up the middle and St. Louis second baseman Peter Kozma made a backhand stop on the ball.

His throw was off line, and as Pujols reached into the basepath to grab the ball, Betemit ran into his hand. Pujols immediately dropped the glove and was rolling on the ground in pain.

Lance Berkman took over at first base, while Pujols finished 3-for-3 with a home run. Berkman will likely take over as the primary first baseman until Pujols returns.

In the final season of his current contract which pays him $16 million, the 31-year-old Dominican has had an off-year, hitting just .279 with 17 homers, 11 doubles and 45 RBI in 73 contests.

Pujols has managed to bat above .300, hit at least 30 home runs and drive in at least 100 runs in each of his first 10 seasons. The nature of this setback puts that streak in jeopardy.

The Cardinals will announce a roster move on Tuesday, prior to their series opener against the Phillies.




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