The St. Louis Cardinals strengthened their thin rotation yesterday, reaching a preliminary agreement with pitcher Kyle Lohse on a $4.25 million, 1-year contract.

General manager John Mozeliak said Lohse, 29, was flying in from California and would undergo a physical today at the team's spring training site. The exam is unlikely to include pitching because Lohse threw a 75-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday.

"If it were a perfect world, we wouldn't have had to go down this path," Mozeliak said. "But it's not and we're going to need someone to pitch every fifth day.

"At some point, we may be dealing with a strength instead of a weakness."

Lohse can earn an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses: $100,000 each for 160, 170, 180, 190 and 200 innings. He would get a $500,000 payment if he's traded, and the Cardinals did not include a club option in the deal, perhaps reflecting the pitcher's leverage in the transaction.

Lohse was 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA with the Cincinnati Reds and the Phillies last year, throwing 192 2/3 innings. He has made 30 or more starts in five of the last six seasons.

Noteworthy

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The Boston Red Sox placed Curt Schilling on the 60-day disabled list as he continues to rehabilitate his right shoulder. Moving Schilling to the disabled list cleared space for Boston to sign righthander Lincoln Holdzkom to its 40-man roster.

Holdzkom, who played in the Red Sox farm system last year, was selected in the Rule 5 draft in December by the Phillies, then offered back to the Red Sox. Because it was his second outright assignment, he became a free agent and re-signed with Boston.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Mike Cameron is to see a neurologist today for a determination on whether he has post-concussion syndrome. Suspended for the first 25 games of the 2008 season after twice testing positive for a banned stimulant, Cameron also is applying for an exemption that would allow him to use banned stimulants. Cameron told USA Today he suspects he still is bothered by an outfield collision that ended his season in 2005. Cameron blamed his positive tests on tainted legal supplements. He told the Brewers he did not want to discuss the matter further.

* Former Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe has colon cancer and will undergo chemotherapy and surgery. Sutcliffe, a baseball analyst for ESPN, was diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer after taking a routine test during a physical, the network said yesterday. He said he hopes to return to the network later this year.

* St. Louis' Albert Pujols is confident he can make it through another season, and maybe even the rest of his career, without needing reconstructive surgery on the elbow that has hampered him off and on since 2003.

* New York Yankees rookie Billy Crystal struck out in his one and only at-bat as a big-leaguer. "It was the strangest, greatest moment of my life," said Crystal, who wore No. 60 in honor of his 60th birthday, which is today. The fans at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla., gave Crystal a standing ovation.

In other Yankees news, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and the rest of the starting lineup will make the trip to Virginia Tech for an exhibition game Tuesday. The Yankees set up the game following the on-campus shooting last April. The Yankees donated $1 million to Virginia Tech's "Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund" last May.

* New York Mets executives and New York City officials say a range of "green" designs will be incorporated into the team's new stadium. The measures include using recycled steel in the stadium; a "green roof" on the administration building; low-flow plumbing and energy-efficient field lighting. *