Holliday says he'll attend ASG if elected

ST. LOUIS -- Though Matt Holliday is still uncertain whether his return from a quad injury will happen before or after the All-Star break, he did confirm on Sunday that if elected to the All-Star Game, he would participate at least in the peripheral activities next month in Cincinnati.

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As of last Tuesday's voting update, Holliday ranked third among National League outfielders, trailing Bryce Harper and Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton will be unable to participate after undergoing hand surgery this weekend. Closing in behind Holliday was San Francisco's Nori Aoki, who trailed by fewer than 370,000 votes.

Though a six-time NL All-Star, Holliday has never been elected to the Midsummer Classic through the fan vote.

"I would go," Holliday said when asked if his participation would depend upon his health. "I would maybe take batting practice and continue to do what I'm doing, as far as rehab goes. It's still two weeks away, so I'm not sure where I'll be at that point. But if I get voted in, I'll be there."

There's a chance, too, that Holliday could be on the field by the July 14 showcase game. He took batting practice again on Sunday, marking the second straight day he has done so. He said he expects to begin running "sometime early this week."

Holliday has not run since straining his right quad in Colorado on June 8.

Worth noting

• Jaime Garcia (left groin cramp) threw on flat ground Sunday but is unlikely to make his next start until at least Thursday. That sets Lance Lynn Lynn and John Lackey up to start against the White Sox in a two-game set that begins Tuesday. The Cardinals' preference would be to send Garcia to the mound on Thursday so that both Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez could take an extra day of rest before their next outings.

To give themselves coverage in case Garcia is not able to start this week, the Cardinals pulled left-handed starter Tim Cooney after two scoreless innings (26 pitches) in his Triple-A outing on Sunday. General manager John Mozeliak described the move as precautionary and emphasized that a decision regarding Garcia's availability has not yet been made.

• Following a three-hit, two-RBI performance on Saturday, first baseman Xavier Scruggs was back in the Cardinals' lineup for Sunday's series finale. Scruggs, who was called up from Triple-A on June 19, was 8-for-15 with five RBIs since the summons heading into Sunday's game.

"Xavier is putting together some at-bats that you can't ignore," manager Mike Matheny said. "That's what a young guy is supposed to do. You get an opportunity, jump on it. Then make it really hard for us not to write you in the lineup."

• St. Louis native David Lee, a member of the Golden State Warriors team that just captured an NBA championship, threw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game.