HOW THEY MATCH UP

FIRST BASE: Albert Pujols continued his season-long offensive tear in the playoffs, batting .333 with two home runs and five runs batted in against the Dodgers in the division series. Pujols’ three-run homer in the fourth inning of Game 4 propelled the Cardinals to a 6-2 victory. Jeff Bagwell put together the first spectacular postseason series of his career against Atlanta, batting .318 with two homers and five RBIs, including a two-run homer in the seventh that sealed Houston’s Game 5 victory. Edge: Cardinals.

SECOND BASE: Houston’s Jeff Kent made up for grounding into a game-ending double play in Game 4 with a double and run-scoring single in Game 5. Kent batted only .227 in the series but was solid on defense, turning two momentum-sapping double plays in the first three innings of Game 4. Tony Womack batted a career-best .307 during the regular season but was a weak link in the Cardinal lineup in the division series, batting .158. Edge: Astros.

THIRD BASE: Scott Rolen, still bothered by a left leg injury suffered Sept. 10 at Dodger Stadium, went hitless in 12 at-bats during the division series. Still, the five-time Gold Glove award winner played flawless defense and should swing a more productive bat in the championship series. Morgan Ensberg, who had batted .275 in the regular season, was a pleasant surprise against the Braves, batting .368 with five RBIs. Edge: Cardinals.

SHORTSTOP: Jose Vizcaino provided next to no offense for the Astros in the first round, batting .105, but his dependable defense kept him in the lineup while Adam Everett was limited by a broken wrist. Edgar Renteria’s .455 batting average against the Dodgers was the best among Cardinal regulars.

Edge: Cardinals.

CATCHER: Brad Ausmus and Raul Chavez each got significant playing time in the division series for the Astros, with Ausmus starting three games and Chavez two. Each catcher homered once and thrived on defense. Mike Matheny did a fine job for the Cardinals in the first round, batting .286 with a homer and five RBIs. Edge: Astros.

LEFT FIELD: Craig Biggio was hitting a paltry .130 in the postseason before his breakout series against the Braves, when he batted .400 with a homer and four RBIs. Dodger pitcher Jose Lima said the fact that the multi-talented Reggie Sanders batted seventh for the Cardinals demonstrates the potency of their lineup. Sanders had 22 homers and 21 steals in the regular season and batted .286 with a homer in the division series. Edge: Even.

CENTER FIELD: Carlos Beltran demolished practically every Houston offensive playoff record in the first round, hitting four homers and driving in nine runs. The switch-hitter also hit .455, including .526 from the left side. Jim Edmonds had a solid but unspectacular first round, hitting .267 with a homer and two RBIs, after an MVP-caliber regular season in which he hit .301 with 42 homers and 111 RBIs. Edge: Even.

RIGHT FIELD: The switch-hitting Lance Berkman was a nightmare for Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox in the first round, batting .500 from the right side and .375 from the left side. Late-season addition Larry Walker continued to complement the other big bats in the Cardinal lineup against the Dodgers, batting .333 with two homers and three RBIs. Edge: Even.

STARTING PITCHING: Three of the Cardinals’ four starters in the division series pitched well enough to win, with Matt Morris falling victim to Lima’s Game 3 shutout despite a solid seven-inning outing. Jason Marquis was a different story, getting whacked for three runs in 3 1/3 innings in Game 2 before St. Louis’ offense came through with eight runs. Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt and Brandon Backe all excelled for the Astros against the Braves, none compiling an earned-run average over 3.00. Backe will pitch on three days’ rest for the first time in his career in the opener of the series, and Pete Munro is scheduled to make his first postseason start in Game 2. Edge: Astros.

BULLPEN: Houston closer Brad Lidge did not appear as overwhelming against the Braves as his National League-record 157 strikeouts for a reliever during the regular season would seem to indicate. Lidge gave up the tying run in the eighth inning of Game 2, and Atlanta hit .286 against him in 4 1/3 innings. Chad Qualls and Russ Springer also failed to preserve the Astros’ three-run lead in Game 4, with Adam LaRoche tagging Qualls for a three-run homer and J.D. Drew driving in the winning run off Springer. The Cardinal bullpen was hardly tested against the Dodgers during a series in which St. Louis won its three games by an average of 4.6 runs. Julian Tavarez pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings, but closer Jason Isringhausen gave up a homer in his two innings.

Edge: Cardinals.

BENCH: Jason Lane contributed as more than a late-inning defensive replacement for the Astros, hitting .600 with a homer and two RBIs. Orlando Palmeiro also added a pinch-hit single but grounded out in the eighth inning of Game 4 when given the opportunity to drive in the go-ahead run. Everett might be used as a late-inning defensive replacement in the series but probably won’t bat. St. Louis reserves Ray Lankford, Yadier Molina, John Mabry and Hector Luna were a non-factor in the division series, with one at-bat among them. Edge: Even.

MANAGER: Tony La Russa long has been criticized for tinkering too much with lineups and relievers, but all he had to do against the Dodgers was step out of the way and let his talent produce. Houston’s Phil Garner was called out for using Lane as a late-inning defensive replacement for Biggio in Game 4 against the Braves, removing one of his hottest hitters from the game. Edge: Cardinals.

PREDICTION: Cardinals in six.

-- Ben Bolch