Pujols still in Triple Crown mix

• Chart: Chasing the Crown

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols has reached the point where just about everything he does gets noticed. But quietly, he's worked his way back into contention for one of baseball's most hallowed accomplishments.

Earlier this year, talk surfaced that Pujols might be a serious contender to win the Triple Crown, something that hasn't been done in either league since Carl Yastrzemski did it in the American League in 1967. No National Leaguer has won the Triple Crown -- leading the league in batting average, home runs and RBIs in the same season -- since Joe Medwick in 1937. It's happened six times in NL history and nine times in the AL. Every player who won a Triple Crown in the 20th Century is in the Hall of Fame.

Cardinals at a glance 2009 record: 91-71 2008 record: 86-76 NL Central champs WHO ARE THESE GUYS? • McClellan: Hometown boy • Cards: Shaking off walk-off • Ludwick: Dream fulfilled • Hawksworth: On way up • Ryan: Playing it cool • Pujols: Ready for fun stuff • Wainwright: Proud, durable • Holliday: Kids' play • Pujols: Triple Crown? • La Russa: 14th postseason • Carpenter: Heart of staff • Pujols: Eschewing rest • Holliday: A perfect fit • Carpenter: Ready to go • La Russa: Getting proactive • Wainwright: Apt pupil • Pujols: His place in history? • Pujols: The evolution • Holliday: Offensive spark • La Russa: Controls fate • Pujols: MVP No. 3? • Wainwright: Mr. Consistent • La Russa: Winning cures all • Carpenter: A go Game 1 • Holliday: Big impact • Wainwright: Cy in cards? More Cardinals coverage • After going all-in, Cards mull 2010 Cards outperformed by robust foe Postseason comes to abrupt end Holliday welcomed warmly despite gaffe Cards look to '04 for motivation Miscue doesn't diminish Holliday's value Holliday joins long line of 'goats' Cards must cash in to save season Wainwright's gem spoiled in errant ninth Under radar, Pineiro a rock for Cards Cards focused, but history against them Wainwright's outing inspires awe Cards' stars frustrated in LA opener Short turnaround awaits Cards, Dodgers Clubs set left-on-base mark in Game 1 Wainwright has experience on his side Rookie relievers fill out roster Carpenter takes long road back to NLDS A whole new season for Cards, Dodgers La Russa, Torre collide in postseason Stability breeds chances for Cardinals NLDS is Pujols' first step toward goal With loss, Cards must pack bags for NLDS Wainwright denied 20th victory Carpenter's grand slam helps rout Reds Smoltz struggles in Cincy Homer bug bites Pineiro against Reds Dinged Ryan, Molina get night off Glaus returns; at-bats could be sparse Cards drop series finale to Rockies NL Central crown secured Wainwright wins 19th in clincher Cards look beyond Central title Cards can't nail down clinch, fall to Rox Pujols is TSN's Player of the Decade Magic number drops to one, despite loss Rout of Astros puts magic number at two DeRosa helps Cards trim magic number La Russa shuffles rotation for weekend Cards appear built for deep playoff run Bats, bullpen pick up Wellemeyer Lohse OK, set for return Smoltz says shoulder feels better

Then that talk tailed off, as Pujols saw the batting-average lead grow more and more distant. But now, if you squint a little bit, you can see how Pujols might add his name to the list. It would be a crowning achievement -- pardon the expression -- in an already spectacular career. Pujols is almost assured of a third NL MVP award already.

Given that this may well be his finest offensive season, it would be fitting to top it with one of the game's signature feats.

"Consistency-wise, yeah," Pujols said when asked if this is his best season. "In past years I've struggled with slumps, and obviously I have a little slump right now where I haven't hit a home run, but I'm driving the ball. Conistency-wise, I'm in some big situations, bases loaded, and getting hits for my team -- a couple of big hits in a couple of big moments."

It's going to be difficult for Pujols to reach those heights, to say the least. Pujols is in good shape in home runs, leading Mark Reynolds and Prince Fielder by three. He has 47, two short of a career high and three from 50. He's in the mix in RBIs, though there's a bit of a hill to climb. Pujols stands at 134, four behind Fielder and Ryan Howard.

But we knew he'd be in the hunt in both of those categories. He amassed huge totals in both before July even started. What was hard to foresee was that Pujols would get back in the race for what would be his second batting title. On the morning of Aug. 29, Pujols woke up a full 50 points behind Hanley Ramirez. The Marlins' shortstop was at .366, while Pujols was at .316. Since then, things have changed dramatically.

Ramirez fell into a significant slump. Since that day, he's gone 26-for-109, a .239 average, to drop to .341 on the year. It's been especially pronounced lately, with Ramirez in a 3-for-26 slump. Pujols, meanwhile, has taken off. He's 40-for-106 (.377) since Aug. 29, raising his average to .328. It's tough to make up 13 points of batting average in three days, but not impossible. If any power hitter can do it, Pujols can.

"He just hits line drives that go out of the park," manager Tony La Russa said recently. "That's why he's a .330 hitter. He's a great hitter. He catches it and it goes. He's a high-average hitter with power."

If, for example, Ramirez were to go 2-for-12 over the final three days, he would fall to .3379. Pujols would pass him by going 10-for-12. If Ramirez somehow went 0-for-12 on the weekend, he'd be at .3345, and an 8-for-12 weekend for Pujols would vault him into the batting average lead.

The batting title is one of Pujols' more coveted accomplishments. He greatly values hitting for a high average.

"Fifty home runs, yeah, it would be great to hit 50," he said. "But that's not my goal. My goal is to try to finish over .330, keep my batting average high. That's something I've been doing over the last couple of weeks. Don't get me wrong. I wish that I could have hit one or two home runs on this road trip. But I'm not concentrating on that. I'm not looking for it. If I were looking for that, I would have had a bad road trip, because they made some pitches. They pitched me pretty well. I wanted to make sure I drove the ball in the gap."

It's a long shot. But it's conceivable. And because Ramirez is closing in on a milestone as well -- 200 hits -- the Marlins might not just sit him to protect his batting title.

It's not that no one has contended for the Triple Crown. Pujols himself has been in the mix before, such as in 2006. In that season, he finished 13 points off in batting average, nine home runs back (but in second place) and 12 RBIs out (also second to Ryan Howard). In 2003, he won the batting title, finished fourth in homer (but only four out of first place) and fourth in RBIs (14 back).

Now, he has another shot.