+Arizona Diamondbacks (92-70) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (93-69)
National League Division Series+
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By Anthony Mormile 
SportsTicker Baseball Editor 

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Arizona's Curt Schilling and
Randy Johnson hope to be the difference.  St. Louis manager Tony
La Russa is still trying to figure out if Mark McGwire is part
of the equation. 

When the Arizona Diamondbacks face the St. Louis Cardinals in
Game One of their best-of-five National League Division Series
on Tuesday, first-year manager Bob Brenly can rest assured he
has a veteran club built for a short series. 

The same cannot be said for La Russa, who seems to be figuring
how his pieces fit. 

There was a general consensus that Arizona would be a very
difficult team to beat in the opening round of the postseason,
especially if it got its rotation in order.  Heading that
rotation is Schilling, a 22-game winner during the regular
season. 

Schilling has big-game experience and the temperament to deal
with the pressure of high expectations, which begin with Monday
night's start. 

"This is the time of the year when you make a name for yourself
in sports," he said. "As a pitcher, I try to feed on that and
this is crunch time. This is when all that money that they pay
us, this is when they're looking for it to pay dividends, this
time of year, coming up big. This is it. This is the times you
play for." 

"Well, a lot of us baseball fans have been Curt Schilling fans
for years," La Russa said. "He's what you want at the top of the
rotation and they've got two tops. It makes them a special
ballclub, he's everything. He's a complete pitcher, right, left,
he's ready early in the game, he keeps his stuff late. I know
what he does after losses. He's a true No. 1 (starter)." 

Compounding matters for La Russa's Cardinals is Johnson, the
Game Two starter who won 21 games and struck out 372 batters in
249 2/3 innings. One positive for St. Louis is that Johnson has
never enjoyed much postseason success, and in his two starts
against the Cardinals this season, he never seemed to get
comfortable. 

But Johnson and Schilling are the only two teammates in baseball
to have each won 20 games, and their 665 strikeouts were nearly
250 more than any other combo in the major leagues. 

"There is no question that those two guys have had exceptional
seasons this year, and right from day one of the year, we felt
good when those two guys took the mound and certainly the
postseason is going to be no exception," Brenly said. "We just
don't ever assume anything. We like our chances when those two
guys take the mound. We like our chances when all our guys take
the mound, but we don't assume anything, we know every game is
going to be a battle." 

"I think we just got to go out and play good baseball,
basically, because we know they have real good pitchers,"
Cardinals second baseman Fernando Vina said. "Schilling and
Randy, they're the best. We're going to go out there and have a
game plan, and I believe we've got a real good offensive team
also, so it will be fun to go out there and see what happens." 

Vina knows he'll likely be at the top of the lineup in each of
those games, but La Russa was still tinkering with his lineup
Monday, unsure of whether slugger Mark McGwire would start or
make his presence felt as a pinch hitter. 

McGwire has struggled the entire season and the Cardinals'
skipper could use Craig Paquette, a more complete player.
McGwire was not a factor in last year's postseason, when St.
Louis swept the Atlanta Braves before being ousted by the New
York Mets in the NL Championship Series. 

"Everybody knows what Mark is capable of doing and what Paquette
has come in and given us," La Russa said. "I keep telling Mark
he's had a tough year according to his standards, (but) he has
got 29 home runs and 60-plus RBI. If that's a tough year, it
gets your attention. I think it's a can't-lose situation for
manager. Whichever way we go, we're going to have a good
lineup." 

Both team's offensive production this season has been remarkably
similar as Arizona scored just four more runs than St. Louis.
While the Diamondbacks are led by Most Valuable Player candidate
Luis Gonzalez and a bunch of veteran hitters, the Cardinals' top
two offensive players -- Albert Pujols and J.D. Drew -- are a
combined 46-years old. 

Pujols is the odds-on favorite for Rookie of the Year and should
receive some consideration for MVP.  He set nearly every NL
rookie record with a .329 batting average, 37 homers, 130 RBI
and .610 slugging percentage. 

Drew came into his own this season, batting .323 with 27 homers
and 73 RBI in 109 games. He's healthy but could struggle against
Johnson, who dominates lefthanded hitters. 

Vina, Drew and Jim Edmonds are three lefthanded bats who could
give Schilling problems, though.  And Arizona's Tuesday starter
has never faced Pujols. 

"The beauty with a club like ours is that you start
concentrating on Pujols or J.D. and Jim or Paquette, and you get
(distracted)," La Russa said.  "It's hard to take any one guy
out of our game." 

Gonzalez did not try to hide the fact that as good as the
Cardinals' lineup is without McGwire, his bat is pivotal. 

"It's totally different," Gonzalez said. "With Mac in the
lineup, one swing off his bat can change the whole complexion of
the ballgame. Just his demeanor in the lineup or presence alone
means a lot. 

"We know they have Pujols, who had an outstanding year, J.D.
Drew had an injury and came right back where he left off, they
have a bunch of guys over there that we know swing the ball very
well. That's why we like this matchup. We have two premiere
pitchers in baseball on our side, and good pitching usually
neutralizes good hitting." 

St. Louis is not without its share of quality arms as La Russa's
Game One starter -- 27-year-old righthander Matt Morris --
joined Schilling as the only 22-game winners in the major
leagues.  Morris has never started a postseason game but has
shown all season that he has the composure of an ace. 

"Matt Morris is a guy that hitters know he's going to have real
good stuff," La Russa said. "He's been locating great.  He
competes. It reminds you a lot of Curt Schilling and the other
lefthander, Mr. Johnson -- the complete package." 

"It should be a tremendous pitcher's matchup, at least going in.
You would certainly anticipate that -- a couple of guys winning
20 games this year, and both have pitched extremely well down
the stretch," Brenly said. "I would imagine it should be a very
low-scoring game and every baserunner becomes vitally
important." 

Red-hot Woody Williams, one of the most overlooked acquisitions
near the trade deadline, will get the call in Game Two and
veteran righthander Darryl Kile will start the pivotal third
game. 

Kile, a 16-game winner, figures to be opposed by Miguel Batista,
who has a losing record in his career and has never pitched in
the postseason. 

"Woody Williams has pitched as well as anybody here since he's
joined us, and Darryl Kile is here and we'll have a real good
fourth guy if we play Game Four," La Russa added. "So I don't
concede -- with all due respect to Arizona. I don't concede
anything in the edge of starting rotation.  We like our guys." 

If St. Louis can find a way to get into Arizona's bullpen, it
could offset the Schilling-Johnson factor as Byung-Hyun Kim has
been erratic filling in for the injured Matt Mantei.  The
Diamondbacks have a veteran bullpen, but names like Mike Morgan,
Greg Swindell and Bobby Witt are not going to instill fear in
any batter. 

The Cardinals' bullpen isn't much better, but you can count on
La Russa managing each inning like it's his last.  It caught up
with him a bit in last year's postseason, but he's got a few
more options this time around and no Rick Ankiel to deal with. 

"I think if you look at both clubs, I think there are a lot of
similarities," La Russa concluded. "I think over the course of
the year offense and defensive numbers, I think we really have a
lot of similarities and it should make for a really tremendous
series." 

st 10-09-01 10:26 et