THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: NL Central division rival Chicago arrives today for a three-game series, followed by a three-game set against cross-state rival Kansas City. In addition to those two important series, the Cards are anticipating the return Wednesday of Chris Carpenter and Rick Ankiel, which in turn will force some roster moves. It’s shaping up to be an important week. All that said, what do you think will be the most important development for the Cardinals in this homestand?

JOE STRAUSS
As big a deal as Carp’s start is Wednesday, Ankiel’s return on the same day potentially helps the team every day. The offense has fallen into a torpor ever since Ankiel’s loss was compounded by Ryan Ludwick’s hamstring strain. The Cardinals have very few ways to win now short of a solid start. Returning Ankiel to the lineup offers Pujols greater protection, allows TLR to drop Yadier Molina to a more comfortable spot in the order, and at least gives another reason to believe the Cards can score more than once in an inning. Carpenter makes the team better the day and the day after he pitches. During one of his offensive binges, Ankiel can be a daily force. In eight years of covering this club, I can’t recall a more difficult time for a Cardinals lineup than the last week.

RICK HUMMEL
It’s always about Carpenter. It’s not only what he brings with his physical ability, but the emotional lift he would give to a team that is kind of confused right now.

DERRICK GOOLD
The most important long-term development for the Cardinals during this homestand is … and how many times have we written this in the past three seasons? … the healthy return and presence of Chris Carpenter. Film at 11. The damning short-term development for the Cardinals in this homestand is how deep a crippled offense leaves them in the standings. Wins could be scarce against the Cubs and the Royals are improved. The Cardinals entered this homestand in first place in the NL Central. They could leave it with Rick Ankiel in the lineup, Chris Carpenter in the rotation, and a serious drop in the standings.

JEFF GORDON
At this point, the Cards need to win some games and stabilize. Period. How they do that is not important. Just having Carpenter and Ankiel back will give the boost, but a LOT of players are struggling all at once. By winning a few of these games, the Cards could release some of their building frustration and build toward a turnaround. This team can’t get everybody out of their funk at once, but a couple of victories against quality opponents would start the process.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
I don’t know if it will be a positive development or not, but what I’m most curious about seeing this week is how Tony La Russa will dish out the playing time at SS and 3B. Joe Strauss’ story (in Tuesday’s Post-Dispatch) about Khalil Greene moving into a reserve role for the time being makes you wonder how it’s all going to play out. Does Tyler Greene emerge as a legit option as the regular shortstop? What about Brendan Ryan? Do we see him more at short, at third or will he be on the pine? Are Brian Barden (.083 in May) and Joe Thurston (.195 in May) going to lose at-bats or will they continue to play regularly?

How things develop at those two positions could determine a lot here in the near future because the other offensive issues will fix themselves, to a degree, once Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick return to the lineup. If you’re not getting much out of 3B and SS, however, you’re looking at a lineup that won’t have a threat in the bottom third. In that scenario you would need Yadier Molina to swing the bat more like he did in April (.333/.402/.500) than what he’s doing in May (.222/.387/.329) — and that’s not a fair expectation. Yadi’s gotten better as a hitter but if you’re counting on consistent run production from him in the middle third of the order things are going to continue to be tough on offense.

A little something on offense from SS and 3B would certainly go a long way.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Cardinals are off to a 9-5 start. While the season is still very young, is there any individual’s play, good or bad, that has caught your attention thus far? And what do you expect from this player in coming months?

JOE STRAUSS
The third base platoon of Joe Thurston and Brian Barden has exceeded what even the most wildly optimistic fans and front office members could have envisioned. Their production likely will outstrip what Troy Glaus gave the team last April. The question is how much longer will manager Tony La Russa be able to find them favorable matchups and to what extent either player will be exposed by heavy playing time.

DERRICK GOOLD
We had a good idea going into spring training that Brian Barden was an above average glove with the ability to play three positions in the infield, and play them well. There just wasn’t any indication that was enough to even make the major-league bench. As Joe Mather, Joe Thurston and later David Freese got the playing time at third and Skip Schumaker monopolized second, Barden was in the background of both competitions. Was he around for depth? Or, did he have a shot? Halfway through March we were wondering if a player with so few at-bats had stuck around that long in major-league camp before.

But stuck around he did. Stuck around long enough to outlast others, win a utility job — and now is capitalizing on the opportunity to be a regular starter at third base. The reason: Well, opportunity, sure, but also health. Turns out Barden was really hampered by a groin injury the past couple seasons that diagnosed as something he should play through. He had it repaired this offseason and has his legs back. Plus, he feels he can turn on pitches better, with more whip and therefore more power. The glove plays. That much is certain and that is enough to keep him in the majors. In the month ahead, the bat will dictate how much he plays.

RICK HUMMEL
Chris Duncan probably has been the biggest surprise to most people although if they had had a chance to watch him in spring training, they would have seen that his swing was back after he was restricted by injuries the last two years. And he’s dropped only one fly ball.

Duncan should knock in 85 runs and hit .270 or above.

JEFF GORDON
The most interesting player is Joe Thurston. He is a middle infielder by trade, yet he is logging big time at third base. He gets burned from time to time on the hot corner, yet his defensive hustle aggression and hustle produce outs — as Carlos Beltran learned first hand. He adds speed when he gets on base. Given his minor league history, you would expect him to keep getting on base, too. He looks like a classic Tony La Russa guy. Hungry utility players can add a lot to the team chemistry, as we saw with Aaron Miles the last few seasons.