St. Louis (AFP) - Adam Wainwright, a three-time Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher who was injured in April, was reactivated Wednesday by the St. Louis Cardinals and pitched his first relief inning since 2006.

The Cardinals pulled the 34-year-old right-hander off the 60-day disabled list ahead of a double-header against Pittsburgh and he threw the eighth inning in the Pirates' 8-2 victory over St. Louis in game one.

A victory by St. Louis in game two between the two teams with the best records in the major leagues would clinch the National League Central division title for the Cardinals. Both clubs have secured playoff berths already.

Wainwright suffered a torn left Achilles tendon on April 25 and has missed 141 games since hurting himself while batting in a game at Milwaukee. He had been expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Before the injury, Wainwright was 2-1 with a 1.44 earned-run average over 25 innings in four starts. But now the Cardinals plan to use Wainwright out of the bullpen, limited to one-inning appearances at first.

"When I got hurt, I thought coming back in spring training (next year) was the realistic goal," Wainwright said.

"But as I kept going along in rehab, our training staff kept saying I had a chance to come back this season. That really drove me and, now, here's that chance. I'm really excited to get back out there."

Wainwright surrendered a run in his one inning of relief as Josh Harrison hit a two-out double and scored on a single.

Wainwright was last used as a reliever in 2006, when he was on the mound for the Cardinals as they clinched the National League championship and World Series titles.

Since then, he had made 221 consecutive appearances as a starter. The veteran, who twice has won 20 games in a season, owns a career record of 121-67 with a 2.90 earned-run average.