MILWAUKEE -- With Ben Sheets ailing and some dangerous left-handed sluggers set to visit Miller Park, the Brewers might stick with baseball's weirdest roster configuration for another week.

Milwaukee is the only Major League team with 14 pitchers and just 11 position players, and while club officials will consider reducing the staff by one arm as early as Wednesday, when rehabbing outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr.'s status is examined, the Brewers could opt to play with a short bench until April 29. That's the date center fielder Mike Cameron is eligible to re-join the team after a suspension.

At that point, the Brewers almost certainly will add a bat and ditch the current configuration.

"Unless it works," general manager Doug Melvin said with a smile.

Even if the team decides to recall Gwynn from his rehabilitation assignment by mid-week, it still will be a couple of bats short Tuesday, when the Brewers and Cardinals finish a two-game series.

Sheets will sit out his next start because of a sore right triceps, thus the need for one extra pitcher. But the Brewers also are carrying an arm on top of that -- left-hander Mitch Stetter -- because they want two left-handed relievers at their disposal during a homestand that began Monday against the Cardinals, who have dangerous lefty bats in Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel.

Following St. Louis, the Brewers host Philadelphia (Ryan Howard and Geoff Jenkins) and the Marlins (Mike Jacobs and Luis Gonzalez).

Carrying Stetter allowed Brewers manager Ned Yost to take some of the strain off lefty specialist Brian Shouse, who was up in the bullpen seven times in a span of five days last week. Shouse stranded his first 11 inherited baserunners before finally allowing one to score on a Joey Votto home run on Saturday in Cincinnati, the first home run Shouse had allowed in 54 1/3 innings and 83 appearances since Sept. 22, 2006.

But with only two bats on the bench, plus the backup catcher, Yost is limited in his mid-inning pinch-hit options. In a pinch, he could use some pitchers. Yovani Gallardo would be the top option to pinch-hit, and Jeff Suppan would get the call to bunt.

The Brewers are stretched further by a shoulder injury to outfielder Gabe Kapler. Yost revealed Monday that Kapler had a cortisone injection a few days ago, and the manager said the veteran was about "90 percent" healthy after "a huge jump" from Sunday to Monday.

"It's challenging, to say the least," Yost said. "But it's OK. You adjust. You sit there, look at it and say, 'How am I going to win more games? Am I going to win more games with the extra pitcher or the extra player?' I think I'm going to win more games with the extra pitcher.

"Right now," Yost added, "until [Sheets] gets to where he can pitch, I want the pitching."

Pitching matchup
MIL: LHP Manny Parra (1-1, 5.40 ERA)
Parra has not pitched more than four innings since his first outing of the season. In his last start, Thursday in St. Louis, Parra allowed three earned runs on five hits, including a two-run, fourth-inning single by Cardinals pitcher Kyle Lohse. Parra also gave up a homer, and he issued a season-high five walks in Thursday's game that was won by the Brewers on Prince Fielder's two-run home run in the 10th inning.

STL: RHP Kyle Lohse (2-0, 1.48 ERA)
When you drive in as many runs as you allow, and your ERA goes up, it's probably been a pretty good season thus far. Lohse turned in another solid game, and he's showing no signs of backsliding. Lohse is throwing strikes. He's issued just five walks in 24 1/3 innings. And he has yet to allow a home run in a Cardinals uniform. As long as Lohse keeps limiting the free passes and the long balls, it's going to be a nice year.

Tidbits
Carlos Villanueva faced the Cardinals for the second time in six days on Monday night and pitched seven solid innings. Now it's Parra's turn. "These are important starts of young pitchers like Manny and Villanueva," Yost said. "You play a team, and then their very next start, they're against the [same] team. You see what adjustments they can make." ... The Cardinals have scored first in 14 of their 20 games this season and are 12-2 in those games, including Monday's win. ... Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks was hitless in his last 10 at-bats before an RBI double in the third inning Monday. ... Corey Hart's triple in the eighth inning -- it was originally ruled a sacrifice fly and a three-base error -- was the Brewers' first three-bagger this season. They were the last of the 30 Major League teams to hit a triple. ... Stetter still was looking over his shoulder on Monday. He didn't have a nameplate over his locker in the home clubhouse at Miller Park.

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Up next
• Wednesday: Brewers (Dave Bush, 0-3, 7.02) vs. Phillies (Cole Hamels, 2-2, 1.86), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Thursday: Brewers (Jeff Suppan, 1-0, 4.13) vs. Phillies (Jamie Moyer, 1-1, 4.79), 12:05 p.m. CT
• Friday: Brewers (Yovani Gallardo, 0-0, 1.29) vs. Marlins (Scott Olsen, 3-0, 2.60), 7:05 p.m. CT