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NLCS notebook Hentgen coming off long break in Game 5
NEW YORK (AP) -- Pat Hentgen will be working on 15 days' rest in Game 5 of the NLCS against the New York Mets on Monday night. Hentgen (15-12) struggled at the end of the season, allowing 11 runs in nine innings his last two starts. Plus, he wasn't needed during the St. Louis Cardinals' opening-round sweep of Atlanta because of extra days off between games. "It's been tough," said Hentgen, who'll oppose Game 1 winner Mike Hampton. "I'm a competitor and I like to get the ball, but I understand the situation." Pitching coach Dave Duncan said fatigue might have been a factor in Hentgen's late struggles. Since the end of the season, he's had better stuff in a simulated game and a couple of bullpen sessions. "I'm anxious," Hentgen said. "I can't wait."
Not so quietEdgardo Alfonzo shed his image of being the Mets' quiet leader and criticized his teammates for lackluster play in Game 3. "The attitude wasn't there," he said before Game 4. "We were too loose." The Mets won the first two games in St. Louis, but found themselves behind 2-0 before they even batted on Saturday. Defensive miscues, poor pitching and a lack of clutch hitting all contributed to the loss. "We took it too easy yesterday," Alfonzo said. "In the playoffs, you can't give a chance to nobody." Alfonzo, who his teammates call the best player on the Mets, hasn't always been so vocal. "He's growing more comfortable in speaking up," Mets general manager Steve Phillips said.
Rotations updateDarryl Kile worked on three days' rest in Game 4, and Andy Benes might also be used in that situation for the Cardinals if there's a Game 6. Benes, who allowed two runs in eight innings in St. Louis' Game 3 victory, was out of the rotation for five weeks starting in mid-August due to a knee injury and wasn't used in the division series sweep over the Braves. But he's pitched well since returning to the rotation and La Russa said the knee wasn't bothering him. "As of this afternoon, there wasn't anything in the way Andy walked in that makes you think he wouldn't be available maybe as early as (Game) 6," La Russa said before Game 4. If there going to be problems, La Russa expected Benes to have them on Monday. The other candidate is 27-year-old rookie Britt Reames, who replaced Benes in the rotation while he was injured. Reames allowed a run in 4 1-3 innings in Game 2 after Rick Ankiel's latest wild ride, but the Cardinals like him in the bullpen. Ankiel is the last option and one the Cardinals don't intend to use "unless we don't have an alternative," Duncan said.
Hold that trainThe Cardinals' win in Game 3 dampened talk about a Subway Series in New York just a bit. Mets general manager Steve Phillips, who recently broke his Subway Series silence, has gone back to his stance of avoiding any talk about it. "I'm trying not to think about a Subway Series," he said. "My focus is on St. Louis. Certainly a Subway Series would be good for New York, baseball, the Yankees and Mets. But if we get to the World Series I don't care who we play."
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