THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: It appears Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick is starting to come out of his slump. Are you seeing any differences in Ludwick’s approach at the plate or is he simply returning to form?

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Ludwick is taking more pitches. He has drawn more walks. Clearly getting a better look at the ball and using the count in his favor. Even when he’s off on a pitch he’s fouling it off instead of swinging and missing. The timing is better. There is less air in his swing. And obviously his confidence must be growing. And as his 3-run homer off Todd Coffey showed, Ludwick is now able to handle fastballs from RH pitching again. That was a strength last season but for the first three months this season Ludwick was often overmatched against hard stuff from righthanders. But he’s doing damage again.

RICK HUMMEL
Ludwick appears to be swinging at fewer “pitchers’ pitches” and more of his own choosing by hitting ahead in the count. He still could finish with 25-plus homers and 90 RBI.

DERRICK GOOLD
Ludwick said a week ago that he felt he was getting closer because he was being more assertive with the one pitch he was getting to hammer. He may have fouled it off or lobbed it out to center — but he was recognizing it and wasn’t missing it. Now it looks like he’s driving it. He’s not quite returning to the form that carried him through 2008, but his swing is more productive and the power is starting to spike again. For the Cardinals, the best thing Ludwick can do is become more productive driving in runs and with runners on base because batting behind Albert Pujols there is often going to be at least one runner on base.

JEFF GORDON
He is fighting off more tough pitches than before. He is staying alive at the plate by fouling off pitches rather than whiffing at them. He is earning the opportunity to attack more mistake pitches. Little by little, he fought his away out of a pretty deep funk. If only Rick Ankiel and Chris Duncan could do the same …

DAN O’NEILL
Ludwick appears to be seeing the ball a little better, seems to be laying off pitches he was offering at before. But I wouldn’t be too excited. He’s hardly tearing the cover off the ball. If he continues the revival in Chicago over the weekend, the All-Star break couldn’t come at a worse time.

GERRY FRALEY
The decision to have Ludwick skip a minor-league injury-rehabilitation assignment before being activated looks worse by the day. Had Ludwick faced minor-league pitching for a few days, he would have returned on an upswing. By not taking a rehab assignment, Ludwick tried a cold start against major-league pitching. That does not work. It has taken him this long to get everything right.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Some of Ludwick’s resurgence is simply the numbers finding sea level. While he may not be the hitter he was last season, he’s certainly better than his performance so far this season. Things were bound to level off. That said, Ludwick looks like he’s letting the ball get deeper in the hitting zone here in recent days and that’s keeping him from being fooled on pitches as much as he had been. The home run to right center the other day at Miller Park was a great sign and fastballs don’t seem to be giving him as much trouble either. I wouldn’t say he’s “back” to where he was last year but he is getting back to the point where he’s going to provide some support for Albert.