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Mets, Cardinals resume NLCS after Monday's rainout

Oct 17, 2006 - 2:27 PM NY Mets at St. Louis 8:19 pm EDT National League Championship Series Series tied, 2-2

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Thanks to mother nature, Tom Glavine doesn't have to worry about pitching on short rest after all.

The 40-year-old Glavine makes his 35th career postseason start Tuesday when the New York Mets face the St. Louis Cardinals in Game Five of the National League Championship Series.

New York evened the series by setting franchise postseason records in home runs (four) and runs in a 12-5 triumph over the Cardinals on Sunday.

However, because of the second rainout of the series on Monday, Game Five was pushed back one day, enabling Glavine to work on his customary four days rest.

A winner of 290 regular season games and two Cy Young Awards, Glavine (2-0, 0.00 ERA) has not given up a run in 13 innings in this year's playoffs, allowing just eight hits and four walks. He won Thursday's series opener against St. Louis.

Glavine has not been as effective on less than four days rest in postseason play, going just 2-5 with a 6.75 ERA.

The postponement will benefit Cardinals starter Jeff Weaver (1-1, 1.69), who lost to Glavine in Game One after surrendering two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 frames.

Weaver began the season going 3-10 in the regular season before being traded to St. Louis in July. He went 5-4 with a 5.18 ERA after the deal and limited the San Diego Padres to two hits in five scoreless innings in Game Two of the NL Division Series.

"You're talking about two experienced lineups," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Both lineups are going to be making adjustments (and) the pitchers are going to adjust to the adjustments. It will be fascinating to watch."

Batting .385 (15-for-39) with seven homers and nine RBI in two postseason series against the Cardinals, Carlos Beltran homered twice against St. Louis in Game Four to lead New York's 14-hit attack.

Carlos Delgado belted his fourth home run of playoffs and drove in five runs for the Mets on Sunday to tie the franchise single-game postseason record.

"We have an aggressive, offensive ballclub," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "It's just a matter of everyone making solid contact and taking advantages of mistakes they might have made. We've been pretty consistent all year long, attacking and putting our offense in gear."

After hitting 49 homers and driving in 137 runs in the regular season, Albert Pujols was hitless in four at-bats in Game Four and has failed to record an RBI in the series.

The teams lose another travel day in the series and will meet in Wednesday's Game Six at Shea Stadium in New York.