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Notebook Mets get to Kile early
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- They said it about Bob Gibson and Tom Seaver, and the same holds true today: If you're going to get to the good pitchers, you better do it early. The New York Mets did Wednesday, scoring twice in the first inning off the St. Louis Cardinals' 20-game winner, Darryl Kile, on their way to a 6-2 win in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series. The Cardinals had their chance in the bottom of the first, loading the bases with two outs against left-hander Mike Hampton. Carlos Hernandez scorched a grounder up the middle, but second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo was playing just a couple of steps off the bag, and made the forceout easily. Alfonzo credited good scouting. "I knew with Hernandez, he hits the ball up the middle," he said. "With the scouting report, I was prepared for it." They meet againMike Bordick and Will Clark never expected to meet up again this year. At least, not under these circumstances. Traded in midseason by the Baltimore Orioles, they now find themselves facing each other in the NL Championship Series. "It's definitely different playing against an old teammate like that," Bordick said. Bordick was sent to the New York Mets on July 28. He took over at shortstop for Gold Glover Rey Ordonez, injured and out for the year, and homered in his first at-bat for the eventual NL wild-card winners. Clark was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals on July 31. With Mark McGwire unable to play first base, Clark hit a robust .345 and delivered seven game-winning RBIs for the NL Central champions. In another deal, the Cardinals got reliever Mike Timlin from Baltimore on July 29. The Orioles finished at 74-88 and finished fourth in the AL East. "We went through a couple of rough seasons together in Baltimore," Bordick said. "I'm just thankful that I'm here and I have a chance to go to the World Series." Clark also is enjoying this second chance. He contributed a three-run homer in Game 2 against Tom Glavine as St. Louis swept Atlanta in the opening round. "To be thrust into a new situation and to have this much fun for two months, it's been a godsend," he said.
Roster shuffleMets manager Bobby Valentine opted for an extra bat and glove off the bench instead of an 11th pitcher for the series. The Mets chose to activate pinch-hitter Matt Franco instead of reliever Pat Mahomes in place of the injured Derek Bell. "We played the whole season with a six-man bullpen," Valentine said. "It could have gone either way." The Cardinals chose to activate a third catcher for the series as protection for Carlos Hernandez's sore back. Rick Wilkins, who had only 11 at-bats in the majors this season, will take the place of injured starter Garret Stephenson, leaving St. Louis with 10 pitchers. Hernandez will need offseason surgery for two herniated discs in his back. "It's enough of a concern that we didn't think it was too smart not to protect ourselves," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.
To catch a thiefDespite putting up MVP-caliber numbers with his bat, Mike Piazza expects his defense to draw a lot of attention in the NLCS. Which is fine with the All-Star catcher. "I mean, obviously, I have always felt that's my No. 1 job, and the responsibility being behind the plate is something I don't take lightly," the Mets star said. Piazza absorbs more than his share of hard hits in collisions. His throwing ability also takes plenty of hits from critics. Piazza threw out just 32 of 142 (23 percent) of opposing basestealers this season. "I want to be solid. That is all I want to do is be solid," Piazza said. "I don't want to try and do things I am not capable of doing." St. Louis stole only 87 bases this year, below the NL average of 102 per team. Chances are, the Cardinals may switch strategy with Piazza catching. "First off, you can't steal first base," Piazza said. "So we just try to keep them off the basepaths. That is all you can do." "But if they happen to get guys on, you know the good baserunners are going to steal bases. You just have to try to contain them and not let them run wild."
Where's Fernando?Going into this season, Fernando Tatis figured to be a big part of the Cardinals' success. Going into the postseason, he's more like the forgotten man. Tatis starred for St. Louis last year, hitting a team-high .298 with 34 home runs and 107 RBIs. Along the way, he became the only player in major league history to hit two grand slams in an inning. The third baseman did so much, in fact, the Cardinals rewarded him with a four-year contract on March 11. But since then, it's been mostly downhill for the 25-year-old player. Tatis slumped to .253 with 18 home runs and 64 RBIs, and often was replaced by Placido Polanco. Tatis went 3-for-36 in his last 10 starts, and did not play at all in the first-round sweep against Atlanta. Asked what happened to Tatis, manager Tony La Russa said: "Well, that is a little tricky." "Actually, Freddie got a bunch of at-bats and just went sour as far as offense," he said. "Defense was fine. But one of the biggest problems was the strikeouts." Tatis fanned 94 times in only 324 at-bats this year. "I said it to him person-to-person," La Russa said. "I plan to play him, but at some point, when you get a chance you got to do something with it." He didn't Wednesday. Pinch-hitting in the seventh, Tatis struck out.
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