Just days after he had batters flailing, it was Rick Ankiel who was struggling.

The St. Louis Cardinals left-hander threw just three strikes in 26 batting practice pitches Monday, a big drop-off from Friday, when he faced hitters for the first time in spring training and stymied hitters in a 40-pitch session.

Ankiel refused to place too much importance on his trouble finding the plate.

"I'm a little frustrated, but I have to think positive," Ankiel said from training camp in Jupiter, Fla.

Trying to earn a spot on the staff, he had looked steady in earlier outings. But he couldn't match that Monday.

"He was a little out of whack, but he wasn't missing by much," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "That happens to a lot of pitchers. It isn't anything that we are worried about."

Ankiel arrived in 2000 at age 19 with a mid-90s fastball and a nasty curve that then-teammate Mark McGwire nicknamed the "snapdragon."

He earned 11 victories and recorded more than a strikeout per inning before wildness and an elbow injury derailed his career for nearly three seasons.

During the 2000 playoffs, he threw nine wild pitches and walked four batters in four innings. Then came a pair of elbow injuries, the second requiring reconstructive surgery that forced him out for a year.

Ankiel appeared in five late-season games last year and earned his first victory since early in the 2001 season. La Russa briefly considered him for the postseason roster, but the Cardinals reached the World Series without him.

Their run ended when they were swept in four straight by the Boston Red Sox.

Also, closer Jason Isringhausen, who had hip joint surgery in the offseason, threw batting practice for 15 minutes. Outfielder Larry Walker, who has been nursing a sore back, took part in drills and batting practice.

At Kissimmee, Fla., the Atlanta Braves had more talks on a contract extension for pitcher Tim Hudson.

Hudson set a Tuesday deadline for reaching a deal because he doesn't want to discuss his contract once exhibition games begin. He could become a free agent after the season.

Braves general manager John Schuerholz and assistant GM Frank Wren spoke several times by phone with Hudson's agent, Paul Cohen.

"I'm not going to say whether I'm optimistic or pessimistic, but the fact that we're talking and working hard is a good sign," Cohen said.

At Tampa, Fla., Gary Sheffield said he isn't interested in extending his contract with the New York Yankees.

The slugging right fielder is in the second season of a $39 million, three-year contract. The Yankees have a $13 million option for the 2007 season, and Sheffield wants to wait for this contract to run out before considering a new one.

"I don't want one," Sheffield said Monday. "When this is over, that's it. When this deal is done, I don't look past it. I can't predict if somebody is going to want me."

New York closer Mariano Rivera is also working his way back. He threw 43 pitches in his first batting practice session Monday, and could pitch in a spring training game next week.

At Fort Myers, Fla., Red Sox right-hander Wade Miller, who hasn't thrown off a mound since last August because of a rotator cuff injury, long-tossed from 210 feet.

He expects to throw an abbreviated bullpen session Tuesday.

"They want to take it slow, they don't want to rush me," Miller said. "So in the back of their minds, the safest thing is probably starting the season on the DL and getting some work in down here."

Meanwhile, third baseman Bill Mueller is well ahead of schedule as he recovers from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. He expected to play in exhibition games around March 10.

At Dunedin, Fla., Toronto manager John Gibbons said the Blue Jays will carry 12 pitchers this season, and only one spot is still open in the bullpen.

Billy Koch, Scott Schoeneweis, Jason Frasor, Kerry Ligtenberg, Brandon League and closer Justin Speier have already locked up relief positions.

The Blue Jays also learned that left-hander Ted Lilly (tendinitis in his left shoulder) could start throwing as early as Sunday.

At Peoria, Ariz., injury-prone Mariners outfielder Chris Snelling will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair a torn cartilage in his left knee. He's expected to be out of action for six weeks.

Snelling tore a ligament in the same knee during the 2001 season and missed the entire 2004 season because of operations on his right hand and wrist.

At Tempe, Ariz., newly appointed Angels closer Frankie Rodriguez finally arrived at spring training after resolving visa problems in his native Venezuela.

Rodriguez, 23, inherited the role from longtime closer Troy Percival, who signed with the Detroit Tigers.

At Surprise, Ariz., Pedro Astacio and Ricardo Rodriguez, pitchers the Texas Rangers hope will be in their starting rotation, threw scoreless innings in the first intrasquad game of the spring.

Rodriguez's season ended in July last year when his right elbow was broken by a line drive.

Astacio, a 35-year-old right-hander with one start since shoulder surgery in 2003, signed as a free agent. He threw 13 pitches, allowing only a one-out double to outfielder Ramon Nivar. He got his outs on a grounder and two flyballs.

At Clearwater, Fla., Phillies right-hander Vicente Padilla and third baseman David Bell missed camp because of injuries that sidelined them in recent seasons.

Padilla had an MRI taken on his pitching elbow and was diagnosed with triceps tendinitis.

Bell, who hasn't participated in a full day of workouts because of back spasms, flew to Dallas on Monday to have his back checked out. He'll continue on to Los Angeles on Tuesday for another exam.