Sporting News, The: He's a hit: Larry Walker has given an already powerful Cardinals offense a boost

Then the Cardinals acquired Larry Walker on August 6, he seemed like a luxury item. They already possessed a loaded lineup, not to mention a 9 1/2-game lead in the National League Central. But now that the team is in the playoffs, Walker is more of a necessity. If the Cardinals are to parlay the best record in baseball into a championship, they likely will have to do it by pounding their way through October.

St. Louis' rotation blends into the scenery--fittingly, Woody Williams slid on a muted camouflage-patterned shirt after beating the Dodgers in Game 1 of the Division Series. Though the bullpen is a strength, it is the offense that led this team to 105 regular-season wins and gives it hope for its first title in 22 years.

With Walker, the Cardinals have a relentless attack, a lineup card loaded with offensive riches. A former MVP and three-time batting champion, Walker hits second in front of Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds and Edgar Renteria. "There's no way an opposing pitcher can let up--even blink," says Williams.

"Walker was a pretty interesting piece to add to the two spot," says Dodgers manager Jim Tracy. "What he did was add additional depth to what already was a very good offensive team. There's a lot more to Larry Walker than what he does with the bat. He's a terrific defensive outfielder. He's as good a baserunner as there is in our league."

In the deciding Game 4 of the NLDS, Walker, who hit .280 with 11 home runs in the regular season with the Cardinals, was on base four times and scored three runs. He was the star of Game 1, hitting two of his team's five home runs. In Game 2, he had an RBI double and--quite willingly--was hit by a pitch. Walker says that's his primary job--simply get on base and set up his big-hitting teammates.

But the Cardinals need Walker to be more than just a table-setter, especially because Rolen, who is bothered by a calf injury and went hitless in the Division Series, isn't his usual self. For the Cardinals to advance to the World Series, their offense has to crank out runs to make up for the shortcomings in the rotation.

Williams and Jeff Suppan are reliable--and were better than that against the Dodgers--but it's not as though they are Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling. Jason Marquis, whose sinker has quit sinking, has wilted after a breakout regular season in which he won 15 games. Projecting Matt Morris' starts is like forecasting the weather; who really knows what you're going to get? And Chris Carpenter, the team's best starter all season, might not pitch in the postseason because of a biceps injury.

The typical blueprint for a Cardinals win has been for the starter to keep the opponent down long enough to hand things over to a strong, deep relief corps that features Ray King, Steve Kline, Julian Tavarez, Dan Haren, Kiko Calero and Jason Isringhausen. If their arms can hold the foe to four or fewer runs, the Cardinals like their chances.

Those chances, without question, have been aided by the addition of Walker, who has adapted nicely to his new home. He has added all-around skill to the lineup and professionalism, leadership and levity to the clubhouse. Not only is Walker, who has quickly meshed with his teammates, playing in a new place, he also is playing at a time of year usually reserved for other things. October is when he usually goes fishing in British Columbia with his brothers.

"Normally I don't pay much attention to the playoffs," says Walker, 37, who is making his second postseason appearance in a 16-year career. "Trying to catch 30-pound salmon, I have enough to concentrate on.

"But I certainly remember '95, being in the playoffs with the Rockies. You never forget things like that. So this time, I'm looking around, taking it all in."

RELATED ARTICLE: Vlad's free-swinging ways caught up to him in the postseason.

After charting every pitch Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero faced in the Division Series, two trends stuck out:

* The Red Sox did not want to offer him anything in the neighborhood of the inside part of the plate.

* His reputation as someone who will hack at any pitch is well-deserved.

The series wasn't a great one for Guerrero, who finished 2-for-12 with two walks, but he did drive in six runs--half of the Anqels' total in their three-game setback. And though it might seem impertinent to fault the approach of a hitter with MVP numbers in the regular season--.337 average, 39 homers, 126 RBIs--take a look at the pitch chart.

Guerrero's impatience against Boston hurt his production. He swung at 11 Ditches that clearly were outside of the strike zone, and he missed seven of them. Of the 20 pitches he saw that were I inside the zone, Guerrero swung and missed only three times. Though he has been known to hit home runs on pitches that are a foot low, he did not get a hit on any pitch that was outside the zone. He came close to knocking a ball that was half a foot outside for a home run but it was only a long fly to center.

In all, Guerrero saw 51 pitches: 20 called balls and 20 in the strike zone to go with the 11 would-have-been balls. Guerrero, making his postseason debut, was particularly eager in the opener when he swung at the first pitch in all five of his at-bats, did not take a pitch until his fourth at-bat and swung at five pitches outside the zone. It was no surprise he went 0-for-5 that day.--S.M.

RELATED ARTICLE: Dodgers are in a difficult position with Bradley.

If you're going to act like Albert Belle, you had better hit like Albert Belle. And the simple truth is, Dodgers right fielder Milton Bradley isn't that good a player.

Bradley's .788 on-base/slugging percentage ranked 25th among qualifying National League outfielders this season, just behind the Expos' Terrmel Sledge and just ahead of the Cardinals' Reggie Sanders.

Yet the Dodgers continued to support Bradley through one transgression after another, acting like most sports franchises do in such circumstances, blindly protecting their own.

The message was troubling: Hey, Milton, help us in the postseason; we'll deal with your anger-management issues later. But when the Dodgers start planning for 2005, they will need to confront reality: They can't trust Bradley.

Oh, maybe Bradley will benefit from counseling, return a changed man and become a star. But the Dodgers won't know if that will happen when they decide whether to offer him a raise in arbitration from his current salary of $1.73 million.

They'll be gambling on a player who had two ugly blowups--one directed at fans, the other at a reporter--as the team played its most important games of the season.

Bradley apologized for both incidents, but each proved a distraction.

Now what?

Bradley, 26, wouldn't command much in a trade. And because the Dodgers can't be sure of what Bradley will give them, they might re-sign potential free agent Steve Finley, 39, to a two-year deal they might otherwise resist, ensuring they are protected in center field.

Another option is to part with Finley and Bradley and pursue Carlos Beltran. But the Dodgers have backed Bradley for so long, it's difficult to imagine them running from him now.

If they're stuck with Bradley, it will serve them right. They're the ones who keep telling everyone that he's not so bad.--K.R.