CardinalsFan44

http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=stl

ST. LOUIS -- Mark Mulder showed encouraging progress in a follow-up examination with Dr. George Paletta on Saturday, but the left-hander remains at least 10 days away from being cleared to throw a baseball.
Mulder was placed on the disabled list on June 22 with a shoulder impingement and inflammation of his rotator cuff. He was re-examined by Paletta on Saturday as previously scheduled, and the condition had shown improvement.

"Dr. Paletta saw Mark today and was very satisfied with the progress that he's made," said head athletic trainer Barry Weinberg.

Mulder will gradually increase his exercises, with the short-term goal of being able to play catch sometime around the All-Star break, July 10-12. That would still leave him at least two to three weeks away from being able to pitch.

"It's gotten a lot better in the last week, so we'll go from there," Mulder said.

The Cardinals are watching both the strength and the range of motion in Mulder's shoulder. An inability to reach full extension in his throwing arm led to him being shut down. The left-hander has professed an absence of pain in the shoulder all along.

"If the exercise that we're going to increase over the next 10 days [goes well], somewhere before the All-Star break or during that couple of days, he'll start playing light catch," Weinberg said. "Which is not a significant throw. Just light catch. And then at that point, that Thursday after the All-Star break, we'll make the next determination of what we want to do."

Mulder is 6-5 in 15 starts this year, but carries a 6.09 ERA. In the five starts before he was placed on the DL, he allowed six or more runs four times and lasted more than five innings just once.

Plotting forward, it's unlikely that Mulder would be able to pitch before the beginning of August, if then. Neither he nor Weinberg would put a timetable on when the lefty could pitch competitively again.

"Once you start a significant throwing plan, he's still two or three weeks away from pitching," Weinberg said. "But we haven't gotten to the point yet where we're talking about a significant throwing program."

Bravesfan4LIFE33

the cardinals need mulder down the stretch to help them out...the cardinals are on a recent slump and need someone like mulder to help them out...

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CardinalsFan44

http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=stl

The long-elusive timetable for Mark Mulder's return to competitive pitching is becoming clearer. Mulder is expected to face hitters in a simulated-game situation on Tuesday, which would set the stage for a rehabilitation assignment soon thereafter.

Throughout Mulder's recovery from a shoulder injury, the Cardinals' stance has been consistent: once the left-hander faces hitters, then talk of a timetable will be valid. As of Thursday afternoon, that's on the schedule. Mulder threw a lengthy bullpen session on Wednesday, impressing pitching coach Dave Duncan.

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