Scott Rolen put on a brave face on Wednesday, but it was a face obviously thinned by illness. Rolen, who has lost about 10 pounds due to what the Cardinals are calling "tracheal viral bronchitis," joined his teammates at Minute Maid Park before Wednesday's game against the Astros. Rolen stayed back in St. Louis the previous two days to work out rather than attending a brief two-game trip to Cincinnati. He is likely to return to the lineup on Thursday against Andy Pettitte and the Astros, but Rolen will probably not be at full strength for quite some time. "I've come a long way in the last three or four days," Rolen said, "from laying in my bed with cold sweats at 103 and a half [degrees]. Just to get out of the house is like a vacation."