ST. LOUIS -- All-Star reliever Ryan Pressly will remain off the 10-day injured list – for now, at least – though his availability for the rest of the Astros’ series against the Cardinals is questionable as the right-hander continues to nurse an ailing right knee.

Soreness in that knee flared up again on Friday, when Pressly was called upon to protect a one-run, eighth-inning lead. A nine-pitch walk complicated things from the get-go, and two subsequent hits – including a three-run blast by Paul Goldschmidt – left Pressly to shoulder his fifth blown save of the season in a 5-3 loss.

Pressly, speaking on Saturday, described it as an “off night.” Asked whether his right knee, which has bothered him since he took a comebacker off it on July 18, played a role in his ineffectiveness, Pressly skirted speaking in specifics.

“If it affected me or it didn’t affect me, it’s my job to get my body ready and ready to compete,” Pressly said. “The simple fact is that I just didn’t go out there and do my job. Whether the knee was bothering me or not, I have to get ready to go do it. … We’re just trying to take it day by day.”

Manager AJ Hinch acknowledged that the organization, following Friday’s flareup, discussed the possibility of placing Pressly on the IL and reinforcing the bullpen with another arm. But doing so would not only have kept Pressly sidelined against the Cardinals, but also through upcoming series against the Indians, Mariners and Rockies.

As of Saturday, the Astros weren’t ready to commit to such a move.

“That’s a consideration if we think that he needs 10 days off,” Hinch said. “Right now, that’s not the assessment, so I wouldn’t want to give away [that time if] two or three days from now he’s going to be available. Certainly, it’s something that we’re talking about. And if it’s something that we think is absolutely necessary, then we’ll do it.”

Friday marked just the second time Pressly had appeared in the eight days since being struck on his knee. In his previous outing, the right-hander allowed one hit over a scoreless, eight-pitch inning. That lowered his ERA to 1.42 through 44 appearances. The three runs Pressly allowed on Friday spiked it to a season-high 2.03.

Pressly was expected to be reexamined by Houston’s medical staff, and he’ll continue to receive treatment on a knee that Pressly uses to push off the rubber and stabilize his body when he begins his motion home.

“You get any inflammation in there, it can be a little bit painful,” Hinch said. “You can feel less mobile. You can feel less athletic. And ultimately, you can compensate, even if you don’t know you’re compensating. This is something he’s had, and he’s pitched through [it]. The Oakland game he pitched [on Wednesday], he had similar symptoms. We’ll talk to him day to day, and I’ll assess whether he’s available.”

Worth noting

• Prior to Saturday’s game, the Cardinals honored members of their 2004 club, which defeated the Astros in a memorable seven-game National League Championship Series that October. The reunion also offered Hinch the opportunity to reconnect with some of his old friends, including Jeff Suppan, Jason Isringhausen and Jason Marquis.

Hinch was once teammates with Suppan (Kansas City) and Isringhausen (Oakland). His connection to Marquis traces back to San Diego, where Hinch signed the pitcher during his tenure as an assistant general manager.