SAN DIEGO -- Mark Grudzielanek has never won a Gold Glove, but then he's never been a Cardinal before. The Redbirds have made the Gold Glove awards their own domain in recent years, and now that Grudzielanek is wearing the "birds on the bat" for the first time, he may have a chance to pick up the hardware.

He won't campaign for it, but when the topic is broached, the St. Louis second baseman admits it would be a special honor.

"No question," Grudzielanek said. "That's something that you don't really think about a whole lot, but it's something at the end of the year you look back and you say, 'Hey, do I have a shot at it?' And I've felt there were plenty of times I did have a shot at it."

He's probably never had a better chance than this year, however. He holds significant leads among NL second basemen in both double plays and assists, and his throwing arm has consistently dazzled his teammates and coaches. Manager Tony La Russa has no problem stumping for his player.

"I don't think there's a whole group of guys that are competing with him," said La Russa. "Are they? I tell you, I'd say he's got a [heck] of a chance. And the more it gets pumped up, so people are talking about it, [the better his chances are]."

Grudzielanek has been regarded as primarily an offensive second baseman through much of his career, and his glove may have been underappreciated at times. That's not the case this year, and within the clubhouse at least, it wasn't the case in Chicago in 2004.

"This is my 11th season, and I just keep going out there and playing," Grudzielanek said. "I know what my ability is, and the people that are close to me, from players to teammates, they tell me that. And that's all I need to know."

Rodriguez returns: John Rodriguez was back in the lineup on Wednesday after appearing only as a pinch-hitter on Sunday and Tuesday. Rodriguez had been dealing with a sprained ankle, but he has been fully cleared to play.

"He could have played yesterday, but we gave him an extra day," said La Russa.

Rodriguez played left field and batted second.

Strange sights: For ex-teammates Jim Edmonds and Woody Williams, going head-to-head on Tuesday night was a strange experience. Williams, who was a Cardinal from 2001-2004 before signing with the Padres, did not face St. Louis in the first series between the two teams this year. For Edmonds, it was particularly odd, because the catcher was another friend and former teammate, Phil Nevin. Edmonds and Nevin played together with the Angels in 1998.

Williams faced a relatively unfamiliar lineup aside from Edmonds, though -- only three of the batters who started against him were Cardinals in 2004. Still, the result was similar, as the Cardinals eked out a 4-2 win.

"You can see why they're one of the elite teams," Williams said. "With everybody they've got out, they're still playing like that."

Today in Busch history: On July 27, 2003, the Cardinals came back with three runs in the ninth inning to beat the Pirates, 4-3. Albert Pujols' two-out, bases-loaded single up the middle off Mike Lincoln capped the rally. The Redbirds actually trailed, 3-0, early in the game before turning things around.

Baby 'Birds: Triple-A Memphis got a home run from Tim Hummel, but lost, 5-2, to Sacramento on Tuesday. Bo Hart and Brad Cresse had two hits each. ... Aaron Herr led five Springfield players with multi-hit games, but the Double-A affiliate lost, 6-5, to Arkansas. ... Reid Gorecki reached base four times, with three singles and a walk, for Class A Palm Beach in a 6-2 loss to Sarasota. ... Class A Quad Cities was rained out. ... Blake Hawskworth struggled in short-season New Jersey's 9-6 loss to Lowell. Hawksworth allowed eight runs, four earned, on six hits in 2 1/3 innings. ... Rookie-level Johnson City was defeated, 17-5, by Greeneville. Tyler Herron didn't make it out of the first inning.

The player of the day is Herr, who has had a nice season in his first year in the Cardinals organization. Herr went 2-for-4 with his 14th home run of the season. The 24-year-old is batting .294 and slugging .488 for Springfield.

Coming up: Chris Carpenter aims for his 15th win in the series finale and last meeting of the year between the Cardinals and Padres. He'll go up against rookie Tim Stauffer, with first pitch scheduled for 2:35 p.m. CT.