(Busch Stadium) With five outfielders and only three spots to play them, at first glance of the St. Louis Cardinals starting lineup it appeared that Dexter Fowler’s absence may have been simply a day off, however, that is not the case.

“No, he came in under the weather,” shared Mike Matheny. “So sent him back home for a little while, get him back in with our doctors. See how he’s feeling.”

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First baseman Matt Carpenter missed a couple of games earlier this week as he dealt with a virus. Fowler’s symptoms were similar, though not quite as severe.

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“Trying to contain it,” continued Matheny. “He came in and he was kind of fooling around a little bit, but I think just being cautious to try and catch it, get ahead of this. Get him feeling a little better, but he didn’t seem completely turned upside down by it but it was more just contagious than anything else, trying to make sure we’re clear of that.”

Fowler is batting .400 (20-50) in the month of August, tops amongst National League hitters and has 14 RBIs in the 13 games since he was moved to the clean-up spot.

In his absence, Randal Grichuk will play left field with Tommy Pham in center and Stephen Piscotty in right.

photo credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

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