ST. LOUIS -- New acquisition Jorge Sosa intrigues the Cardinals for a variety of reasons, most notably his 94-mph fastball and sometimes-dazzling slider. But there's another element to Sosa that holds appeal: his versatility.

The right-hander has started, pitched in long relief and pitched in short relief, and by the time his tenure in St. Louis comes to an end, the odds are that he will have done all of those.

"I think it could be either way," said manager Tony La Russa, when asked how Sosa fits into his pitching staff down the road. "I think he's proven he could start. It probably has to do with need."

Sosa professed no preference for either starting or coming out of the bullpen.

"I like them both," Sosa said."That's what I've been doing this year -- both."

Though Sosa's third pitch, a changeup, is less of an impact offering than his fastball or his slider, he is just as willing to use it in a relief role as when he starts. The primary difference, he said, is that he spends less time and effort setting hitters up as a starter.

He was thrown into the fire in his first game in St. Louis. Sosa was called in with the bases loaded in the sixth inning of a two-run game to face the dangerous Pat Burrell. He hung a slider to Burrell, but the outfielder flied out. Sosa breezed through the seventh before handing the ball over.

"The manager called and said, 'Be ready for the next hitter,'" Sosa said. "'Be ready and be aggressive.'"

Davenport-bound? Mark Mulder expects that his next serious throwing session will be as part of a Minor League rehabilitation assignment. That would come Sunday, and the most likely destination for the left-hander is Class A Quad Cities. Double-A Springfield is off, while Triple-A Memphis (playing in Fresno) and Class A Palm Beach would represent long trips.

Mulder was encouraged by how he felt the day after a simulated game on Tuesday. He will throw a bullpen session on Thursday before heading out to the Minors.

"I'm not concerned about my shoulder anymore," Mulder said. "I'm concerned about keeping my arm where it is all the time. I don't want it to be back down there and for my shoulder to act up again. Not that it would, but it could."

Flip-flop: Ronnie Belliard found himself hitting in the No. 2 spot in the batting order in his second game with the Cardinals, a day after debuting in the seventh position.

For Wednesday's game against right-hander Brett Myers and the Phillies, Chris Duncan was dropped to seventh. With the Cardinals struggling to score runs (38 in 11 games), the manager decided to try a different look.

"It's just to change things around," La Russa said. "That's different from shaking things up."

Belliard has extensive experience both as a table-setter and in the more RBI-oriented positions lower in the order. He's received nearly 2,000 at-bats in the No. 1 or 2 spot in the order, and just under 1,100 batting either sixth or seventh.

"He's capable of doing both," La Russa said. "He handles the bat, as he proved yesterday. But he's put up impressive RBI totals. It reminds me a lot of Edgar [Renteria]. We used to do that with Edgar a lot, keep him in RBI spots even though he could hit second."

Minor Leaguers suspended: Two Cardinals Minor Leaguers have been suspended for violation of the Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Marcos Chavez and Jonathan Gonzalez, both members of St. Louis' club in the Venezuelan Summer League, received 50-game suspensions for testing positive for performance-enhancing substances.

Bits and pieces: With the trade of Hector Luna, Aaron Miles is the Cardinals' backup shortstop. Miles has been taking balls at shortstop in pregame drills the past two days. ... Scott Spiezio rejoined the team on Wednesday after missing Tuesday's game to tend to a "personal, family issue." ... La Russa said Wednesday that he expects Josh Kinney to be one of the team's September callups.

This date in Cardinals history: On Aug. 2, 1967, the Cardinals swept a doubleheader at Wrigley Field to stretch their lead to 5 1/2 games over the second-place Cubs. In the opener, Dick Hughes pitched a complete game for a 4-2 victory, with Curt Flood going 3-for-5. Steve Carlton went the route in game No. 2, with Lou Brock's four hits pacing the offense in a 7-1 win.

Baby 'Birds: A late rally fell short for Triple-A Memphis, which scored five runs in the ninth, but lost, 10-8, to Colorado Springs on Tuesday. Michel Hernandez doubled, homered and drove in two runs. ... Blake Hawksworth was tagged for five runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings as Double-A Springfield lost, 7-6, to Tulsa. Juan Richardson, Nick Stavinoha, Mike McCoy and Dan Moylan all went deep in the loss. ... Rayner Laya's 10th-inning single scored Randy Roth, giving Class A Palm Beach a 6-5 win over Vero Beach. Colby Rasmus singled, doubled and drew two walks. ... Class A Quad Cities scored four runs in the top of the ninth for a 4-2 win over Lansing. Trey Hearne pitched 6 1/3 innings without an earned run. ... Willian Sandoval singled and doubled for short-season State College in a 4-1 loss to Auburn. ... Jonathan Edwards had a big day at the plate and Tyler Herron won his second straight start as rookie-level Johnson City beat Danville, 3-2. Herron allowed four hits and one walk, one unearned run and struck out five.

Edwards is the player of the day after his three-hit outburst. The 18-year-old, whom the Cards selected in the 14th round in this year's draft, had a single, a double and a home run. He's been on a roll lately, going 10-for-24 (.417) with six extra-base hits and five walks in his last seven games. Edwards has three homers in that stretch after not going deep in any of his first 25 pro games.

Coming up: The Cardinals and Phillies play for the last time this year -- barring a stunning run to the postseason by Philadelphia -- on Thursday night. Jason Marquis tries for win No. 13, going up against rookie lefty Cole Hamels. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium.