John Heller, Post-Gazette Pirates second baseman Jose Castillo writhes in pain after colliding with the Cardinals' Hector Luna in the third inning. Click photo for larger image. More Pirates News: Pirates Notebook: Duke faces biggest test yet Stats Geek: Bay carries too much of the load for Pirates Pirates game log, scoring highlights and box scores

Bad enough that the Pirates were bounced again in their back yard by the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-1, last night before 23,751 at PNC Park.

Worse by far was losing their second baseman, most likely for the year.

Jose Castillo left the game in the third inning because of an injury to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, then was placed on the 15-day disabled list. The diagnosis will be more specific today after a magnetic resonance imaging scan is taken at Allegheny General Hospital, but a team source said last night he believed Castillo will not be back for the final six weeks of the season.

After the game, third baseman Ty Wigginton was recalled from Class AAA Indianapolis. He was hitting .293 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 72 games since his June 5 demotion.

"It's tough," manager Lloyd McClendon said of losing Castillo. "He's played extremely well for us this year, done a nice job. He's really progressed to the point where we think he's going to be a fixture in Pittsburgh for quite a while."

Castillo was hurt after making the pivot throw on a 5-4-3 double play that ended the third. Hector Luna made a hard slide into second, and his raised right cleat appeared to strike Castillo on the kneecap. He lay on the ground for four minutes before being helped off, unable to step with his left leg.

McClendon absolved Luna.

"It was a clean play," he said. "Those things happen from time to time."

Luna expressed surprise that Castillo did not make more of an effort to get out of the way.

"He was standing right in the middle of the bag," Luna said. "No jump. No nothing."

Castillo, in his second full major-league season despite being only 24, is batting .268 with 11 home runs and 53 RBIs while combining with shortstop Jack Wilson to form the National League's best double-play duo. He is held in such high regard by management that he, Wilson and Jason Bay are considered the only position players who are locks to start in 2006.

The Pirates will shift third baseman Freddy Sanchez to second and could also use Rob Mackowiak there, McClendon said.

St. Louis, owner of the best record in Major League Baseball, continued its domination of the Pirates by squeaking through a strange game. The Cardinals are 28-9 at PNC Park since its opening in 2001 and have taken 15 of the past 17 overall from the Pirates, including eight of 10 this year.

Pirates pitcher Josh Fogg tries to calm himself in the second inning. Click photo for larger image. TODAY'S GAME Game: Cardinals (Jason Marquis 9-12, 4.36 ERA) at Pirates (Zach Duke 6-0, 1.87 ERA), 7:05 p.m. * TV/Radio: FSN Pittsburgh/KDKA-AM (1020) and Pirates Radio Network.

They owed this one to starter Mark Mulder, who improved to 5-0 against the Pirates by lasting eight innings and allowing three hits.

"He put his pitches where he wanted," Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit said. "That's what the good ones do."

Jason Isringhausen put down the heart of the Pirates' order in the ninth for his 33rd save.

Josh Fogg had another subpar outing -- three runs on 11 hits in five innings -- in what might have been his penultimate start. The team is planning to add Oliver Perez and Ian Snell to the rotation in September.

This one could not have been more exasperating for Fogg, who had only one well-struck ball against him.

"We still lost," he said. "My job is to try to get them to put the ball in play to our fielders, but they found holes. That's the way things are going for me."

The game's first batter, David Eckstein singled and took third on Larry Walker's bloop double. When the bases were loaded, Abraham Nunez's dribbler through the left side brought the first run home.

With one out in the third, Jim Edmonds walked, and Nunez hit a slow chopper. Brad Eldred fielded it, but his momentum took him away from first base and any shot he might have had at either bag. Even though he bobbled the ball, he was not charged with an error.

So Taguchi's popup single scored Edmonds and sent Nunez to third.

Then came the punchline: Luna hit a comebacker to Fogg, who turned toward second in hopes of starting a double play. Castillo was not at the bag. Fogg turned again toward home, but he had no chance at Nunez.

Again, no error could be assigned because no play was attempted.

Still, McClendon found fault with Fogg.

"The only play there is to home, and that's how we instructed it," McClendon said. "Josh knows that."

"I heard someone yelling, 'Two! Two! Two!' " Fogg said. "By the time I turned around, nobody was at second base. I didn't want to throw the ball into center field."

The Cardinals served up some slapstick, too, in the bottom half of the same inning.

With one out and Michael Restovich at third and Wilson at second, Sanchez flied out to deep left. Taguchi caught it, prompting Restovich to tag and score and Wilson to bust for third. When Taguchi tucked the ball and started jogging toward the infield, thinking he had the third out, Wilson darted for home. He was nailed easily on a precise relay from Eckstein.

"Jack was being aggressive, trying to make something happen," McClendon said. "Looking back, you wish he hadn't done it."

Looking back, the Pirates have more to regret from last night than a few more miscues and yet another loss to St. Louis.