Cardinals' Brandon Crawford: Lifted early with leg injury

Crawford was removed from Sunday's game against the Cubs in the top of the eighth inning with an apparent left hamstring injury, John Denton of MLB.com reports. He went 1-for-1 with a double, two walks and a run scored before departing.

With Masyn Winn getting a day out of the field and serving as the Cardinals' designated hitter, Crawford entered the starting nine at shortstop for just the 12th time all season. He got off to a strong start to the day at the plate before he was pulled midway through his eighth-inning plate appearance, when he appeared to grab at his hamstring following a big swing. Jose Fermin came off the bench to replace Crawford and popped out. The Cardinals should have more information on Crawford's condition after the game.