Rick Ankiel returns to the mound tonight for the Cardinals after nine days of rest. Ankiel hasn’t pitched since June 10th, when he lost in Detroit. Manager Tony LaRussa decided to line up the rotation so that Ankiel would get four straight starts at home before the All-Star break. Ankiel is 4-0 at home, with a 2.42 ERA. On the road, he’s 1-3 with a 5.38 ERA. Ankiel will face the Giants tonight, for the first time in his career. Russ Ortiz will start for San Francisco. The Cards have won 7 of their last 10 to open a 6 and 1/2 game lead on Cincinnati. The Giants are in 4th place in the West, 4 and 1/2 games behind Colorado and Arizona.
