St. Louis right-hander Sidney Ponson left Sunday's game at Florida after three innings because of discomfort in his pitching elbow. Ponson threw only 42 pitches and gave up one hit before departing for a pinch hitter with the Cardinals leading 2-0. He retired the last five batters he faced. Ponson signed a $1 million contract with the Cardinals after being released by Baltimore last September, in part because of alcohol-related problems. Last season he was 7-11 with a 6.21 ERA; this year he's 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA in six starts.