GRAND CENTER — It was about 300 at-bats ago center fielder Rick Ankiel made his debut as a major-league outfielder, and tonight’s home run was his 18th since he made his return on August 9, 2007.  Track that statistics from that day forward and Ankiel ranks with baseball’s best sluggers — and one sudden star coming to town this week — in such numbers as homers, RBIs and slugging.

From August 9 until the start of…

GRAND CENTER — Bunkered in here at Channel 9’s studios, just a Jim Hayes’ Frisbee throw from the grand Fox Theater, and ready to see No. 2 hitter Yadier Molina step in against his favorite pitcher to see at his favorite away ballpark to hit.

And already Max Leinwand has brought up a question to wonder:

Who is the emergency catcher on this year’s team?

Molina grounds out while Max is asking. So, As Rick…

SOUTH GRAND — Starting with a possible trade partner that probably doesn’t have what the Cardinals are looking for and ending with a question about the chances of a fan-favorite outfielder trying on an infielder’s glove, this week’s edition of the mailbag is loaded with all manner of things middle infield.

Oh, and there is also an advocacy of a four-man rotation.

Reliever Russ Springer is back. Rico Washington gave everyone a great story. And…

TOWER GROVE — While we check around the house to see if anything has been shaken loose, shaken up or shaken down, here are some riffs from the ballpark:

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When David Eckstein became a Cardinal, the team discussed with him a way to increase his arm strength. The shortstop who had a “playable” arm — manager Tony La Russa’s word — and a max-effort motion improved his arm during his three seasons as a Cardinal by going…

DOWNTOWN — Taped on the door into manager Tony La Russa’s office is an advertisement ripped from a magazine and featuring Chris Carpenter delivering a pitch. La Russa had the same 8 1/2-by-11-inch picture stuck on his door down in spring training and he insisted on bringing the picture up north with him.

La Russa calls it “a reminder.”

The manager said Carpenter is a personification of what’s coming and what has to be accomplished for he arrives….

TOWER GROVE – The PostCards inbin was overrun with spam and the Cyrillic alphabet – who knew four years of Russian would help me wade through questions for a baseball mailbag? спасибо Большое. One email that had the subject line: “Thanks Houston/We Have Liftoff!”

Thought for sure that was a love letter to Brandon Backe. But no.

It was a religious group’s mass email with a space travel pun. Houston? Liftoff? Getit? Dah. (Just wait until…

GRAND CENTER — On the first or day of spring training, with his full squad warming up in the background, manager Tony La Russa insisted that this year’s team would be a better defensive group. It took a few March weeks of fumbles and foibles, but …

So far, so good.

Todd Wellemeyer just escaped the third inning with consecutive defensive gems by his infielders. Troy Glaus gambled with a throw to second base to…

TOWER GROVE — The Cardinals jet off on their first road trip of the season having let so few of their opposing hitters take flight at all this season. Much has been made of the Cardinals rotation’s sub-1.00 ERA through six games and the staff as a whole has an ERA of 1.83, better than every team in baseball save the LA Dodgers and their 1.70.

That’s the macro picture. The micro is even more…

DOWNTOWN — Admitting that he’s been bothered by a sore elbow since the end of spring training and that it has lessened his ability to pitch in recent outings, Cardinals reliever Russ Springer went on the 15-day disabled list Saturday morning with an inflamed nerve in his right elbow.

“Time to let it cool off a little bit,” Springer said moments ago. “It’s not a surgery-type thing. … We’ll let it totally cool off.”

To…

DOWNTOWN — Cardinals righthander Joel Pineiro strolled into the clubhouse a few minutes ago, team bag slung over his shoulder, and said he’s only a few days away from starting what he hopes is a short rehab assignment.

Pineiro worked five innings Thursday against a team of extended-spring players. He walked one and struck out six, though he said the strike zone was a little more forgiving then he’s going to get in the majors….