DOWNTOWN — For the second time in as many playoff games, St. Louis Cardinals prospect third baseman and St. Louis native David Freese homered to provide the only run Triple-A Memphis needed.

In the clincher of the Redbirds first-round playoff series against Albuquerque, Freese hit a opposite field home run that proved the difference in a 1-0 victory. Last night, in Memphis, Freese broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning of the Pacific Coast League championship series with a solo homer that, again, provided the only score in a 1-0 Game 1 victory. Freese went 2-for-2 in the game — and yes, committed an error — to raise his average to .357 in the postseason.

The team Freese’s homer toppled was none other than Sacramento, which boasts a No. 3 hitter and third baseman you may have heard of — Brett Wallace. And, with it’s prominence in the news this week, third base is the subject of today’s tight-turnaround abbreviated 10@10.

Not only its scuffling present, but its intriguing future.

You’ll recall Freese, a Lafayette High alum, was the rookie candidate to win the Cardinals’ starting job while Troy Glaus mended from that shoulder surgery that was going to keep him out a month, two at the most. Best laid plans. (1) Freese arrived at spring training with a bum heel, the product of an offseason car accident. He tried to play through it, but lacked comfort at third base and had difficult running the bases. Though he made the Cardinals’ major-league opening day roster, Freese was eventually sent back to Class AAA and eventually shutdown there so that he could have surgery on the foot. He returned late in the season to hit .300/.369/.525 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs in 56 games. His postseason push is an extension of the performance he had that lifted Memphis after Wallace’s trade to the Oakland oranization.

Were that Glaus’ absence was as short or his return as successful. (2) As you know, Glaus return to the major-league team did not come until September because of his shoulder’s inability to react expediently to surgery. He also had his rehab complicated by back trouble — though he said later that maybe the time off to rest the back also helped his shoulder get a needed break from rehab. Whatever the case, Glaus’ window to make an impact on the 2009 Cardinals was limited already, and then news this week of his oblique strain. As Tony La Russa said: This isn’t the time for a player who missed so much time to be unable to take advantage of scarce playing time.

And that is all background noise to the real concern at third base: the Cardinals’ third baseman.

Mark DeRosa, while playing superb in the field, continues to struggle at the plate. (3) He is 2-for-19 on this home stand (.105 average), and his slash has dropped to .230/.301/.396 as a Cardinal. DeRosa is playing with a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, an injury that has sent other hitters (namely Rickie Weeks) immediately for surgery. An operation awaits DeRosa in the offseason, but in the meantime he’s taking his hacks in the batting cage trying to get right. He’s getting advice — and moreso encouragement — from Albert Pujols. Upon returning from his wrist injury, DeRosa said one of his chief concerns was going to be driving the ball. He has four doubles in his previous 24 games, but it’s been more than a month since DeRosa hit a home run for the Cardinals, his eighth with the team.

In those previous 24 games, DeRosa is hitting .221/.315/.273, and while he’s stung some shots — consider the diving play at third base that radically changed Friday night’s 1-0 loss to Atlanta by stealing an RBI base hit from DeRosa — he also has 15 strikeouts in those 24 games. (4) In September, even a three-hit game in Pittsburgh doesn’t give him more hits (seven total) than strikeouts (eight) this month.

That prompted the following question from a press box wag: Who has been more successful — former Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen since he arrived in Cincinnati or DeRosa in the same span? Easy enough to answer (5). The two third baseman since Aug. 1:

Rolen … 26 games … .260/.345/.365 … 2 HR … 13 RBI … 11 BB, 14 K

DeRosa … 37 games … .238/.319/.311 … 1 HR … 9 RBI … 13 BB, 26 K

Hardly a groundbreaking comparison, but it’s enough to further illustrate how DeRosa is struggling. His lifeline arrives in a few weeks as the season is wiped clean for October, but his recent performance only underscores the concern that his wrist is significantly limiting — even erasing — the kind off offensive helper he could be/should be for the Cardinals. And it’s not like they have an alternative, save Freese.

That’s the immediate future of the position. But what about the long-range future?

The Cardinals, as reported in The Post-Dispatch, are interested in bringing DeRosa back, though they have not committed to whether they see the versatile fielder as their 2010 third baseman, their 2010 second baseman, a potential left fielder or all of the above. DeRosa offers an option at a variety positions, and where he plays could really depend on who re-signs.

The future of the Cardinals hot corner was supposed to be Wallace.

His ability to handle the position at the major-league level was a question, and his bat was needed to complete the deal for Matt Holliday – a deal that radically changed the Cardinals’ standing in the division and perception around the league. With Wallace out of the organization, the depth chart could shift back to Freese. Cardinals farm director/VP Jeff Luhnow said recently that he believes Freese has shown enough in his return to Triple-A that he’ll get second audition as the start this coming spring training. (6) Call it a do-over. An injury mulligan. A year ago, Freese led Memphis in home runs and RBIs and was, by one trade publication’s estimation (ahem, Baseball America) the Cardinals organization’s player of the year.

The future at third base is the subject of today’s poll (7):

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8. Not to be overshadowed by Freese’s home run Tuesday night in Memphis was lefty Jaime Garcia’s starring role in the Redbirds victory. Garcia continued his strong return from Tommy John surgery — and strong case to be a favorite for next year’s major-league rotation — with 6 2/3 shutout innings. He held Sacramento to one hit and struck out seven. Ten of his 13 outs on balls put in play were groundouts.

9. After offseason worst-case estimates that they would only be able to reach 2.8 million in total attendance this season, Tuesday came as a relief, but also a foregone conclusion. With Tuesday’s 42,895 crowd — the 29th sellout of the season for the Cardinals — the club eclipsed 3 million in total attendance. It’s the 11th time in franchise history that they’ve passed park, and it is the fourth time in four seasons at the new downtown ballpark. They are on pace for 3.3 million.

10. Yep, heard about Jay Leno. Can’t say I’m surprised. First it was the Baltimore Orioles with their “Welcome to Bird Land” thing a few years ago, and now this “Ten at Ten” thing. Does that mean that here in St. Louis, Leno will recast it as “Nine at Nine Central”? Unreal.

We know NBC is really grasping when Jimmy Fallon debuts JFL!!!.

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