St. Louis ? Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling underwent an appendectomy Saturday during the team’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, but might miss only one start.

Schilling was in pain on Friday when the team arrived for the start of a three-game series and manager Bob Brenly said the pain was more acute on Saturday. Cardinals team doctors recommended surgery.

“Obviously it was something we couldn’t afford to put off for another couple days,” Brenly said. “The doctors that came over from the St. Louis side recommended that they do it right away. We thought about maybe even flying him back to Phoenix but they suggested against that.”

The Diamondbacks hesitated to characterize the operation as an emergency situation.

“I don’t think it was ruptured or burst,” Brenly said. “But it certainly looked like it was heading in that direction.”

A team spokesman characterized the operation as a “routine procedure.” Schilling could be released from Barnes-Jewish Hospital as soon as today but likely won’t return to Arizona until Tuesday or Wednesday.