ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals reliever Ryan Franklin was considered unavailable for Wednesday night's game after coming down with a case of strep throat. Franklin was not at Busch Stadium.

Franklin, 34, last pitched on Sunday in Detroit, when he went one inning in a 6-3 loss. He's been a key part of the St. Louis bullpen in 2007, serving as the team's primary right-handed setup man.

"We just heard today," manager Tony La Russa said on Wednesday afternoon. "He called the trainer and they told me he's not going to be here."

It's unclear how long Franklin will remain unavailable.

Bennett starts: Gary Bennett got the call to catch on Wednesday night, not so much because of an offensive matchup, but in hopes it might give Kip Wells a boost.

With no disrespect intended to starting catcher Yadier Molina, La Russa suggested that the struggling Wells might benefit from a different face behind the plate. With a day game Thursday following the night game Wednesday, Molina was likely to get one of the contests off anyway.

"Just to give Kip a different look," La Russa said. "You're going to catch Gary one of these games. I just figured it would be good to do something different with him."

Cards sign '06 draftees: The Cardinals announced on Wednesday that they have signed two "draft-and-follow" players from the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. Right-handers Mark Diapoules and LaCurtis Mayes agreed to terms after spending the 2007 season pitching at the junior-college level.

Diapoules was the Cardinals' 21st-round pick out of Martin County (Fla.) High School, and Mayes was a 23rd-rounder from Riverside (Calif.) Poly High School and is also a product of the RBI (Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities) program.

This date in Cardinals history: On May 23, 1961, Bill White enjoyed one of the best games of his career, going 4-for-5 with five RBIs to help the Cardinals beat the Giants, 12-4, in St. Louis. White homered, doubled and had two singles. Ray Sadecki pitched the sort of complete game that you don't see anymore, going the distance despite allowing four runs on 12 hits.

Baby 'Birds: Triple-A Memphis was shut down on Tuesday by the man who may be the best pitcher in the Minor Leagues -- other than Roger Clemens, of course -- in a 3-1 loss to Nashville on Tuesday. Yovani Gallardo fanned 10 Memphis batters in six innings, neutralizing a fine showing by Blake Hawksworth. The Memphis starter allowed two runs on four hits in six innings, striking out five and walking one. ... Bryan Anderson's two-run homer wasn't enough for Double-A Springfield in a 3-2 loss to San Antonio on Tuesday. Kevin Ool pitched well in the loss, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits over 6 1/3 innings. Ool struck out four and walked one. ... Tyler Norrick walked four but still held Fort Myers to two runs over 5 2/3 innings, getting the win as Class A Palm Beach beat Fort Myers, 3-2, on Tuesday. ... P.J. Walters pitched five shutout innings, allowing two hits and two walks against four K's, and Class A Quad Cities went on to beat South Bend, 3-2, in 10 innings on Tuesday.

Hawksworth is a close call as player of the day, small consolation for a man who's pitched well enough to have many more wins than he's got. Over Hawksworth's last five starts, he's allowed a total of seven earned runs, and no more than two in any one game. He struck out 19 and walked five in that span, but had only two wins.

Coming up: The Cards and Bucs wrap up their three-game series with an early start on Thursday afternoon. Braden Looper looks for win No. 6 against left-hander Tom Gorzelanny at Busch Stadium, with first pitch set for 12:10 p.m. CT.