"I should have known, coming from pesky people in Kansas City," Eldred said, laughing it off, remembering his early days when he faced White, then in twilight of his Kansas City Royals career.

"Frank's been there a long time."

Thing is, the St. Louis Cardinals reliever actually didn't mind it one bit. Eldred closed out the Double-A portion — and perhaps all — of his major league rehab assignment on Thursday night by finding an escape hatch to an eighth-inning, bases-loaded mess and then working his way to another another scoreless performance in the Springfield Cardinals' 4-2 loss to Wichita at Hammons Field.

On a night when the Wranglers prevented Randy Leek from winning a fifth consecutive start by scoring all of their runs in the first three innings, Wichita made sure Eldred's third outing since Saturday was one he wouldn't forget without really meaning to.

The 37-year-old right-hander, nearing a big-league return after a viral infection affecting his heart landed him on the disabled list nearly two months ago, gave up four hits in his two innings of work in the eighth and ninth innings. He didn't allow a run or issue a walk, but Eldred gave up three one-out singles in the eighth before White signaled for Rudy Gomez, his No. 9 batter, to put down a suicide squeeze.

White, whose team was 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position in a 7-6 loss in 12 innings Wednesday night, thought he had winner and something to cushion a 4-2 lead.

"Cal is usually around the plate," White said, shaking his head, "but he picked a good time to throw the ball in the dirt."

Eldred buried an 0-1 pitch in the dirt, and Mike Aviles, running from third base, was a dead duck. Cardinals catcher Robinson Cancel made the tag about 4 feet up the third-base line.

"I heard them screaming (squeeze), and I was like, 'I guess that's possible. They're pulling out all the stops,' " Eldred said. "It was the right pitch. That's a tough pitch right there. These guys are swinging the bats, and you've got to throw it down. It worked out in our favor."

From there, Eldred retired Gomez on a groundout and opened the ninth by giving up a single before Justin Huber, whose. 323 average is fifth-best in the Texas League, rolled into a 4-6-3 double play.

Eldred retired the next batter on a groundout and that closed out his third appearance since Saturday, a stretch in which Eldred worked six innings, gave up five hits, struck out one but didn't issue a walk or allow a run. He threw 22 pitches Thursday. Is he ready?

"Oh, definitely," Springfield manager Chris Maloney said. "He threw the ball good again. He made some good pitches, but they hit some good pitches. But he was sharp and had command."

Eldred would like to think he's ready, too.