With Dr. James Andrews serving as a valuable cleanup hitter, Albert Pujols was in good hands Wednesday during a round of scheduled surgery in Birmingham, Ala.

At least Joe Torre didn't show up to take the scalpel away from Andrews.

Andrews was able to clear the junk from Pujols' right elbow without digging in for the more extensive ligament-replacement surgery. A reconstruction would have kept Pujols sidelined for the first two months of the 2010 season.

So the procedure went as planned.

Now we'll see if it turns out to be completely successful.

If so, Pujols will resume hitting home runs after experiencing a power outage late this season. Not that Pujols was reduced to the slugging level of, say, Dal Maxvill. But clearly the ailing right elbow did what few pitchers could: it slowed Pujols down. Pujols last homered on Sept. 9, and the drought continued through the three-game sweep by Torre's Dodgers in the NLDS.

Before the All-Star break, Pujols ranked first in the National League in homers, slugging percentage, RBIs, home runs per at-bat, RBIs per at-bat and extra-base hits.

After the All-Star break, Pujols ranked 11th in the NL in homers, seventh in slugging, 12th in RBIs, 14th in homers per at-bat, 15th in RBIs per at-bat and sixth in extra-base hits.

It's pretty impressive that Pujols managed to hit as well as he did while swinging with the bum elbow. The bone spurs and fragments caused considerable discomfort.

"Imagine if you took five thumb tacks and put them in your elbow," said Will Carroll, an expert on sports injuries who writes for Baseball Prospectus. "You wouldn't want to pick up a bat and swing it as hard as you could. You would be in a lot of pain."

Now that Pujols has had the elbow patched up for the second consecutive offseason, what's next?

The first concern is his offseason training program. Will Pujols be able to pump the weights and work as hard as usual to stay in optimum shape?

And it's time to wonder if it would be wise to give Pujols more time off next season. Nothing drastic, but if he's hurting and wearing down, he'd probably benefit from more down time.

Pujols, who turns 30 in January, competes with a maniacal intensity. That's a plus in any player. But only five major-league players have played more innings since Pujols graduated to the Cardinals for the start of the 2001 season. Can Pujols maintain this pace without burning out? The elbow wasn't the only issue last season. Pujols was bothered by problems with his hamstring, calf, and a couple of bouts with the flu.

Manager Tony La Russa tries to give Pujols more days off, but Pujols usually lobbies his way into the lineup. Perhaps TLR needs to say 'No' as a final answer more often.

Then again, can anyone with the Cardinals say "No" to Albert?

It didn't help when Pujols put more stress on the elbow by participating in two circus strong-man contests this past summer. Though clearly gassed, Pujols joined ESPN's lineup and competed in the "Home Run Derby" the night before the All-Star Game at Busch Stadium. Then Pujols gave up more free time to accept an invitation from ABC to engage in a home-run hitting exhibition with Shaquille O'Neal.

It's Pujols' career and he can do what he wants. And doing it his way has resulted in 366 homers, 1,112 RBIs, and a .334 batting average during his first nine seasons. It's got to be difficult to resist the temptation to write Pujols' name on the lineup card every day.

And considering that the Cardinals are trying to entice Pujols into signing a long-term contract extension, it's tricky business for team management to suddenly implement rules to ensure that Pujols receives adequate rest. Then again, suppose Pujols signs an extravagant deal with the Cardinals — at $25 million a year in salary— only to begin breaking down?

The Cardinals can help Pujols in other ways. Their No. 2 hitters combined for an anemic .316 onbase percentage in 2009. That deprived Pujols, the No. 3 hitter, of RBI opportunities. This season he had 189 plate appearances and 119 at-bats with runners in scoring position. In the NL, 14 hitters had more plate appearances with runners in scoring position than Pujols. And with Pujols walking so many times, 59 NL hitters had more ABs with runners in scoring position.

Even after the Matt Holliday trade, 50 NL hitters had more at-bats with runners in scoring position than Pujols. Torre underlined the point by intentionally walking Pujols three times in the NLDS.

To put Pujols in a better position in 2010, the Cardinals must find a No. 2 hitter who can get on base. And if Holliday as expected bolts as a free agent, the Cardinals have to come up with another dangerous bat to hit fourth.

That's one way to protect Pujols. It may prove to be a more difficult challenge to protect Pujols from Pujols, and prevent him from wearing down again.