As the Cardinals return to action Thursday night against the visiting LA Dodgers, the 2010 season swings into its second phase. 

After a disappointing but salvagable first half the entire Cardinals team is on the spot, facing a battle with the Reds for first place in the NL Central.

But here are the five people who loom large in the Cardinals' second-half fate:

1. GM John Mozeliak: he doesn't have much to trade, having served up a collection of prospects in the 2009 deals for Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa. But the team's defense and offensive production at the middle infield positons leave a lot to be desired. 3B David Freese is taking longer than expected in his recovery from an ankle injury. And no one knows when (if?) Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse *  will return to the rotation. And if they return, can they pitch effectively? At some point the Reds will make a deal to enhance their chances. Mozeliak faces the possibility of getting upstaged and overtaken by Reds GM Walt Jocketty, his former mentor and current rival.

* Penny and Lohse are obviously key figures for the 2010 Cardinals; I didn't list them here simply because we know that healthier teams have the best shot of playing to their maximum level. Obviously, I could have listed the pitchers here ... but I thought it best to take the health equation out of it for now. We all know what Penny and Lohse can do if they're physically sound. But there's no way of smartly predicting their status for the second half.

2. Manager Tony La Russa: the shoddy fielding and base-running are unusual for a TLR team. He remains steadfast and pure in his desire to win,  and his commitment to winning, and the intensity that he brings to the job on a daily basis. But if the players' concentration remains fuzzy in the second half -- or if they fail to play with exuberance -- will this be viewed as a reflection on La Russa? His critics will jump at any sign of weakness, of course. But beyond the usual and predictable La Russa haters, even the moderate and fair-minded fans will wonder why TLR isn't able to get his team to sharpen up if the bad habits continue.

3. Colby Rasmus: He's made a major move in his second MLB season. Rasmus already has matched his HR total (16) from his rookie season. He has an OPS (onbase + slugging) of .914, which is 200 points better than his rookie OPS. And Rasmus has the third-best OPS among MLB center fielders. But can he maintain? The rigors of the daily grind (and an illness) wore him down last season. He's been nagged by little injuries.  And inconsistency is still an issue; Rasmus batted .226 with a .320 OBP and .357 SLG in May. When Rasmus drives in a run in a game this season, the Cardinals are 20-6. If the Raz Attack is at full throttle in the second half, the Cardinals won't have as many dull games on offense.

4. Ryan Ludwick: Before being shut down earlier in July with a strained calf muscle, Ludwick had gone into a cold spell, batting .235 with a .270 OBP and a .469 SLG since May 29. There are soft spots in this lineup. Perhaps Mozeliak will be able to address that via trade. But maybe not. Maybe some of the slumping players (such as Yadier Molina) will do better in the second half. Or maybe not. But this much is clear:  if the Cardinals can get their big four of Albert Pujols, Holliday, Rasmus and Ludwick rolling for extended stretches, they'll cover a lot of the holes in this lineup. If the best hitters are doing their thing, it can solve a lot of problems. If the best hitters aren't cranking, then it's virtually impossible to compensate for it. Ludwick has to reheat. *

* I wanted to mention one other guy: Felipe Lopez. With Freese down, the Cardinals need Lopez to pick it up. He's such a potentially valuable guy because of his ability to supply offense at 3B, 2B, and SS. Lopez has been on a roll as of late, batting .345 / .379 / .436 since June 28 (58 plate appearances.) His offense is vital, especially considering that he hits at the top of the lineup. 

5. Chris Carpenter: After getting smacked on the forearm by a line drive on June 28, Carpenter is 0-2 with a 7.88 ERA over three starts. In the three games, he's allowed 35 base runners in 16 innings. He's been rocked for a .358 batting average. Not the same pitcher. The Cardinals and Carp insist the forearm has nothing to do with it. The All-Star break -- and some extra rest, since he didn't pitch in the ASG  -- should help. With Carpenter dealing, the Cardinals have a formidable three in Carp, Adam Wainwright and Jaime Garcia. If Carp isn't an ace, the rotation loses muscle.

Thanks for reading ...

-Bernie