The lefty felt he had to switch his usual regiment because “my body got used to it.”

“The recovery (from throwing) was a big part of it,” Siegrist said. “Just didn’t feel right. … Right now everything is calmed down. I feel really good. Just keeping at it.”

Matheny suggested that Siegrist had gone long enough that the preference was to use him Thursday night regardless of score. Seung Hwan Oh pitched with a seven-run lead Wednesday because he had gone too long between appearances. The concern for Bowman wasn’t just his appearances, but how often he readied for them.

Among the things that the Cardinals track about relievers is their “ups.” That is, how many times they get up in the bullpen to warm for a game, whether they get into it or not. The Cardinals also track pitches. All teams do. The relievers are also going through tests before games with the training staff to gauge strength and range of motion, and the results are compared against baseline scores to see if there is a drift in strength or limitations. A dip can be the result of fatigue — or something more sinister.