"Cardinals right fielder Lance Berkman hopes to return to the lineup no later than Friday after accepting a cortisone injection to his problematic right shoulder Wednesday afternoon.

Berkman, rested Monday before being forced from Tuesday's game by shoulder discomfort, suffered a strain in a muscle behind the shoulder during his final at-bat Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Berkman described an awkward swing in which his body went one way and his shoulder another as causing the strain.

"It was really a move I can't remember making before," said Berkman, who had an MRI before the injection. "I could tell something wasn't quite right but hoped it wasn't anything serious.""