JUPITER, Fla. (AP) -The St. Louis Cardinals are still looking for an opening-day third baseman, and David Freese is trying to take advantage of the opportunity.

Freese was recalled from minor league camp Sunday and went 1-for-3 with a run in St. Louis' 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

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Freese started the spring with the big club only to be sent down to rehab an Achilles' injury he sustained in an offseason auto accident. He said he was surprised when Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told him about the move.

``(Mozeliak) said there's a couple weeks left, you are healthy and the past couple of weeks you have proven that you are healthy. Go back and grab your old locker,' Freese said.

Troy Glaus was expected to be the Cardinals' regular third baseman, but offseason shoulder surgery has kept him off the field this spring. He is not expected to be with the club for opening day.

With Glaus sidelined, Joe Mather had occupied third base for most of the spring. A converted outfielder, Mather impressed defensively but entered Sunday in an 0-for-19 slump. He played left field and broke out with a first-inning double, his lone hit in five at_bats.

Freese, who started a minor league game Friday and a major league game as a fill-in on Saturday, will likely spend the next two weeks competing with Mather to be the opening-day third baseman.

``I'm going to play (Freese) a lot, but there are other guys to get ready,' manager Tony La Russa said. ``I also don't want to break him. He's played three days in a row.'

While the Cardinals have an opening at third, Baltimore is trying to settle on its starting rotation.

The picture became a little clearer Sunday when manager Dave Trembley confirmed that it is unlikely pitcher Rich Hill will be ready for the start of the regular season because of an elbow issue.

Hill's absence leaves Mark Hendrickson as the only left-hander in camp who is a possibility for the rotation.

``We don't have to have a left-hander in the starting rotation,' Trembley said, though he acknowledged he'd prefer to have at least one. ``I'd like to be 6-foot-3, too, but I'm not. You go with what you've got.'

Hendrickson struggled early on Sunday, allowing three runs - two earned - in the first two innings before shutting down the Cardinals in his final two innings. He allowed six hits overall.

``I wasn't as sharp with some of my off-speed pitches today, but I made maybe a 20-pitch jump from where I was last time, so I was pretty happy with my stamina and conditioning,' Hendrickson said.

Ty Wigginton's RBI single in the seventh gave Baltimore a 4-3 lead. Wigginton went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

St. Louis tied it on Yadier Molina's single in the eighth. Jon Jay's single in the ninth drove in Shane Robinson with the winning run.

Notes: The Cardinals expect reliever Dennys Reyes to report to Jupiter on Monday. St. Louis signed Reyes shortly after the start of spring training, but he has yet to come to camp, opting instead to pitch for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. ... The Cardinals reassigned pitcher Blake Hawksworth, infielder Tyler Greene, catcher Bryan Anderson, pitcher Fernando Salas and outfielder Jay to minor league camp.