Worth noting

• Matheny said the Cardinals intend to take advantage of the 26th-man rule for Tuesday's doubleheader in Pittsburgh. He said they will likely add an additional bullpen arm for the day.

• Wednesday was likely the last day the Cardinals can use Joe Kelly in an emergency relief situation and still have him start Saturday in Atlanta. Matheny said Kelly could pitch an inning in place of a regular bullpen session.

"I've told him to stay ready," Matheny said. "If we get into a situation where we need somebody to throw some innings to keep us in the game, we'll jump on the opportunity we have right now and deal with what we have later, later."

• The Cardinals took some bunting practice Wednesday afternoon for the second time this season.

"The bunt is not a part of everybody's game, but there's some guys on our team that need to be able to pull it off," Matheny said. "And you can't expect to pull it off in a high-pressure, high-velocity situation if you're not working on it."

• The Cardinals announced Mizzou and Illini Nights as two new theme nights for the 2013 season. On Aug. 23, Illinois men's basketball coach John Groce will be on hand to toss out the ceremonial first pitch when the Cardinals host the Braves for Illini Night. And on Aug. 24, fans can join Missouri athletes, Golden Girls and the Mizzou traveling band in Riverview Corner.

Each night will feature an Illini- and Mizzou-themed Cardinals baseball cap for fans who purchase a themed ticket.