Eckstein Delivers in Familiar Style

SAN DIEGO —  You remember the little guy. Leads off. Constantly surprises. Maybe he’ll always be associated first with the Angels’ magical 2002 World Series run. Or maybe he’ll eclipse it in another couple of weeks.

David Eckstein is all revved again, supplying his trademark red-tinged detonation in the post-season, this time for the St. Louis Cardinals, who completed a sweep of the San Diego Padres with a 7-4 victory Saturday night at Petco Park.

The sawed-off shortstop singled and scored in the first inning and belted a two-run home run to key a four-run second, enabling the Cardinals to score first for the third game in a row and advance to the National League championship series for the second year in a row.

The homer, of course, landed a foot or so over the fence and a few feet inside the left field foul pole.

Any Angel follower remembers that’s where he usually hits ‘em.

Reggie Sanders also delivered, hitting a bases-loaded double to tack on two more runs in the second and drive Padre starter and former Cardinal Woody Williams to the dugout. Sanders, who drove in six runs in Game 1 and two in Game 2, set an NL record with 10 runs batted in.

A two-run single by Yadier Molina extended the lead to 7-0 in the fifth, and all that was left was for Cardinal right-hander Matt Morris and a string of relievers to sail through the Padre batting order.

Morris did not allow a hit until the fifth when the Padres scored twice on four hits. Manager Tony La Russa called upon reliever Brad Thompson in the seventh and he surrendered a one-out home run by Dave Roberts.

But it was too little, too late because the Cardinals had put the wood to Williams, banging out six hits in his 1 2/3 innings. Why Williams was out there in the first place was a question Padre Manager Bruce Bochy never really answered. His second-best pitcher, Adam Eaton, didn’t take the mound in the series, having been scheduled to pitch Game 4.

“I think anybody would be disappointed,” Eaton said. “You want to be out there and be able to contribute.”

In the regular-season finale, Eaton shut out the Dodgers for seven innings, striking out 11. Not that blanking the depleted Dodgers was proof of much. Now the Padres, whose combined record in the regular season and playoffs (82-83) was the worst in baseball history for a team that made the postseason, enter the off-season facing several of the same questions as that frayed franchise to the north.

Will they spend enough to improve their team? Will there be off-the-field changes? Are they content to contend in the weak National League West Division, or are they willing to make the commitment to try to win a World Series?

Padre CEO Sandy Alderson, who came on board May 1, is calling the shots. That means General Manager Kevin Towers’ job could be in jeopardy.

Closer Trevor Hoffman, top hitter and right fielder Brian Giles and standout catcher Ramon Hernandez will be free agents. Hoffman and Giles, while productive, are in their mid-30s and Alderson might be reluctant to offer long-term deals.

The Dodgers are considering making a run at Giles, which could shift the balance of power in the division in one fell swoop. He gets on base a ton, hits for power and plays a position the Dodgers must fill.

With the Padres focused on the playoffs, Alderson hasn’t felt the need to address the roster yet.

“It makes you wonder where you stand,” said Hoffman, whose only appearance in the series was pitching a relatively meaningless ninth inning Saturday.

“They could decide to build on what they have. Or they could decide to go in an entirely different direction. No one is telling us anything.”

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Three years ago, Commissioner Bud Selig apologized to Cardinal fans because the first game of the division series against the Arizona Diamondbacks started at a late hour in St. Louis, saying “No more 10 p.m. starts. That’s the end of it.”

The promise held for three years. The 8 p.m. start in San Diego on Saturday made it difficult for fans in St. Louis all over again. Baseball reneged so that four staggered starts would have been possible if necessary. But the Chicago White Sox sewed up their series Friday and the Angels and Yankees were rained out.

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La Russa highlights

Some of the achievements of the St. Louis Cardinals’ Tony La Russa since he started his managerial career in 1979:

*--* YEAR TEAM NOTE 1983* Chicago (AL) Won AL West 1988* Oakland Won AL pennant 1989 Oakland Won World Series 1990 Oakland Won AL pennant 1992* Oakland Won AL West 1996 St. Louis Won NL Central 2000 St. Louis Won NL Central 2001 St. Louis Won NL Central 2002** St. Louis Won NL Central 2004 St. Louis Won NL pennant 2005 St. Louis Won NL Central

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* AL manager of the year; ** NL manager of the year