Wong ready if needed after Carpenter's injury

Kolten Wong didn't have time to analyze the situation or the potential impact on the Cardinals when Matt Carpenter hobbled out of the batter's box in the third inning Wednesday night.

Carpenter has been manning Wong's old spot at second base of late, so when the team's lone All-Star was clutching his right side in obvious pain, Wong reacted.

"I ran," he said. "I knew I had to get ready."

He nearly was the catalyst to a win over Pittsburgh, his fourth-inning, head-first slide into first base helping to extend what became a four-run inning and a 5-1 lead.

In the end, Wong and his teammates were lamenting another home defeat along with the possible loss of Carpenter.

However many games Carpenter might miss, Wong is prepared for a chance to play second base, whether it's for one game or an undetermined length of time.

"I still believe I'm the best second baseman in the National League," he said. "I work as hard as I can every day at second base, then take my outfield balls. But I know where my prime position is."

Wong has been getting a lot of time in center field since his detour to Memphis and quick return to St. Louis. As the infield continues to take hits, there could be available time.

Wong is hitting .273 since his return and had one hit against the Pirates on Wednesday. He has seen his average creep up to .235.

His bunt in the fourth inning was the type of play the Cardinals needed -- for energy and a pick-me-up after Carpenter left. The Cardinals had extended their lead to 3-1 and had runners at second and third with two outs.

Wong pushed the ball between first base and the pitcher's mound and instinctively dove head first in an attempt to beat the throw. He was ruled out, but the Cardinals won their challenge. A run scored and the inning was extended, allowing another run to score.

"I realized if I could get a good bunt down we could score a run and get us going," he said. "I didn't think it was that good a bunt. I had to give it everything I had and just get there. I'm not a guy who likes to slide at first but in that situation, the way the game was going, I wanted to do whatever I could to make it seem that I was safe."

What happens next will be discovered early on Thursday as the Cardinals and Pirates play the final game of their four-game series at 12:45 p.m.

As much as Wong would like to be playing second base, he is hoping for a quick recovery for Carpenter, who has been a catalyst at the top of the lineup all season.

"Carp is our guy," he said. "He's been doing it for us all year. Seeing him go down was definitely tough. All you can do is hope and pray for the best. I came off the bench just to fill in for him.

"You see what the guy does out there every day. He performs. He's a professional. You can count on him to come up in big situations and do a job. It's tough to lose someone of his stature."

Carpenter is the latest in a string of injuries, including several that have impacted the infield. Brandon Moss, who has started 27 games at first base, is on the disabled list. Third baseman Jhonny Peralta sat Wednesday after feeling pain in his previously injured thumb the night before.

"It's definitely tough to understand those guys are hurt right now," Wong said. "We don't know the severity but know they're feeling some pain. The guys who have been sitting on the bench waiting for a turn, now is our time to step up for the team. We need to make sure we can do what we can to try to get some wins."

Stu Durando

@studurando on Twitter

sdurando@post-dispatch.com

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