JUPITER, Fla. — How radically the RPMs of the Cardinals’ offense could increase with a couple new additions is indicated by an uncanny statistic noticed in the press box this afternoon.

With four more triples this spring the Cardinals will match their total of last season.

Cesar Izturis’ RBI triple against Atlanta on Sunday was his second of the spring and the Cardinals’ ninth as a team. As of this afternoon, that was the most in the Grapefruit League and only Milwaukee, out west somewhere, had more. It puts the Cardinals just four Brian Barton line drives to the gap away from matching last season’s total of 13. That was the fewest by a long ways in the National League and the fewest total in baseball last year.

“We’ve got some of those guys that can hit, and can run well,” manager Tony La Russa said. “Big ballparks. You get the ball in the gap …”

… and Go!

Now there’s a word that hasn’t been linked to the station-to-station-to-socko Cardinals much.

Sure, they take their extra bases and, yes, Scott Rolen and Larry Walker were two of the best baserunners in the game when they were with the Cardinals together, and, right, Albert Pujols often ranks highly in the New Math element’s number-crunching of bases taken. But speed, pure mercury, is a goose of offense the Cardinals could really use to complement what’s clearly going to be a power lineup.

Consider just what we’ve seen from the Cardinals in the past three games:

• Brendan Ryan scores from second on a wild pitch that took a wicked ricochet up the first base line. He never slowed as he peeled around third and the run proved the insurance in a victory at Vero Beach on Friday.
• On Saturday, Brian Barton triples, sure, but he also goes from first to home on a Pujols’ double. The throw to the plate allows Pujols to take third base.
• Against the Braves on Sunday, the middle infield combined for a run when Izturis laced a shot to the warning track in right-center and was off to the races for a run-scoring triple.

“They’re back,” Izturis said of the legs hampered by hamstring injuries over the past couple years. “They’re good. They feel good. (Speed) is part of my job. It’s part of my game.”

It may also be part of the Cardinals.

So much of the talk about speed focuses on stolen bases. There’s more to it than that. Barton has been featured in the No. 2 spot in the order recently because La Russa likes the chances he has to score from every game — notably first — when Pujols cracks an extra-base shot. Rick Ankiel and Skip Schumaker keep a brisk pace on the bases, too. Izturis could compensate for where he lags offensively by bringing some jolt to the bases.

“I think he’ll steal some bases,” La Russa said of the shortstop who stole a career-high 25 in 2004. “You’ve got to figure he’ll have the green light (but not) push it if his legs are bothering (him). From what we’ve seen in his legs so far, that would be a plus for us because he could steal some bases, go first to third, for us.”

And, better yet, it wouldn’t be isolated speed.

The Cardinals’ 13 triples last season were the sum of some fluky parts, as no player had more than two (including, technically, team-leader Miguel Cairo!). The Cardinals baker’s dozen of triples made them one of two teams that had fewer than 20 triples last season, and — just like stolen bases — there were two players who had more triples of their own than the Cardinals had as a team.

Already this spring, Barton has three, Izturis has two (of his five hits), and both Ryan and Schumaker have one apiece. If they play, La Russa can open the throttle.

***

Matt Clement threw his third live batting practice session, and he will be scheduled for a fourth before considered for a game appearance. The righthander did not have the same control or pop on his pitches as in his previous outing. The plan is to give him an extra day’s rest before throwing another BP.

***

Former first-round pick Dewon Brazelton, out since before camp began this spring because of conditioning concerns and arm strength issues, was scheduled to throw in a minor-league game Sunday. Brazelton, a righthander, had already been reassigned to minor-league camp.

***

Chris Perez and Jason Motte remain in the competition for a spot in the major-league bullpen — an opening that hasn’t gotten much attention, but is certainly there because of Joel Pineiro’s injury. Both may see two-inning appearances here and could also see that in Triple-A as the Cardinals prep them for the roles they’ll have in the majors, not necessarily the traditional setup/closer roles they were set to have in the minors.

Perez worked two perfect innings Sunday (getting the extra one in Jason Isringhausen’s absence), and Motte worked a perfect inning. Perez has been becoming more consistent with his arm slot, pitching coach Dave Duncan said. In his previous appearance, 15 of his 16 pitches came out of the same slot. That has improved his command.

On Sunday, Duncan approached the righthander with a question.

“He said when was the last time I threw two innings,” Perez said. “I had to think about it for awhile.”

He and Motte have a friendly rivarly going, one dating back to Springfield last year when Motte would throw the eighth “and check the radar gun,” Perez said. “Then I’d pitch the ninth, and we’d see who won.”

Not won as is record. Won as in speed, velocity. Not W, but MPH.

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