By Josh Dubow
The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO - The dugouts will be a little more crowded for Game 3 of the NL championship series than they were in the second game.

After a bench-clearing scuffle in the opener of the series between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants, baseball banned non-roster players from sitting in the dugout Thursday night.

Some players, including San Francisco's Manny Aybar and St. Louis' Luther Hackman, went onto the field, leading to the loss of dugout privileges for one game.

Vice president of umpires Ralph Nelson also said Friday that Giants catcher Benito Santiago had been ordered to reduce the size of the logo on his chest protector, and Cardinals reliever Steve Kline was told to clean up his hat so that the St. Louis logo is clear.

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ROLEN SITS: Cardinals manager Tony La Russa still isn't counting on having injured third baseman Scott Rolen back in the lineup soon.

Rolen missed the first two games of the NL championship series with a sprained left shoulder. There had been speculation that he could be ready to return in time for Game 3 on Saturday, but La Russa said that's too soon.

"The day you see him taking groundballs on the field and swinging, that's when it's legitimate to ask if he's available," La Russa said Friday. "But until you see him out there, he's not close."

One day after his hardest day of work since injuring himself in Game 2 of the division series, Rolen took it easier Friday.

He has been playing catch, doing reaction drills, swinging a fungo bat and standing at the plate while a pitcher throws to keep his batting eye sharp.

"He's making progress," trainer Barry Weinberg said. "I can't tell you how long it will take."

La Russa said he wouldn't try any gamesmanship to fool the Giants into thinking Rolen would be available Saturday.

"The smart answer would be yes, he could pinch hit," La Russa said. "The honest answer is no."

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COMING UP ACES: The Giants came into the postseason without a clear-cut ace on their pitching staff.

Game 3 starter Russ Ortiz sure looked like one in the first round, when he beat Atlanta in Game 1 and Game 5. But that doesn't mean much to Ortiz.

"I think there's potential right now for four or five of our starters that can be considered aces on other teams," he said. "I don't really look at those labels and say, well, I'm this guy or I have to be that guy."

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FINLEY'S FLIGHTS: Chuck Finley nearly ended up with the San Francisco Giants instead of starting Game 3 of the NLCS for St. Louis.

As the trade deadline neared in July, Finley knew he wasn't staying in Cleveland but he didn't know where he was going. Indians GM Mark Shapiro only added to the confusion.

"First call he gave to me was the fact he told me I was going to the Giants. I said fine," Finley recalled. "He called me back a couple of hours later and he said, 'No. You're going to the Reds.' He called me back a few minutes later and told me I was going to the Cardinals. He called me back a few minutes later and told me, 'I don't know where you're going."'

Finley ended up in St. Louis when the Cardinals sent two minor league pitchers to Cleveland and hasn't thought about what could have been since.

"I've had no second guesses whatsoever," he said. "I'm very happy with where I'm at."

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SABEAN SAYS: Giants general manager Brian Sabean tried not to get too excited about his team's 2-0 lead in San Francisco's first NLCS since 1989 - though he acknowledged taking two games at Busch Stadium is quite a feat.

"This is a tough place to play," he said. "We've had some heartbreaking games here."

While right fielder Reggie Sanders and reliever Chad Zerbe wrestled over a plate of food in good fun Thursday night, and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" blared through the clubhouse, Sabean remained realistic.

"You're only as good as your next day," he said after the Giants' 4-1 win at Busch Stadium. "We have the off day to regroup, and it's up to us. This is the toughest park. You've got to follow through and finish what you start. They're on a mission."

San Francisco must win just two more games to reach the World Series.

"This is the toughest part, finishing it off," Sabean said. "Two games doesn't mean anything. I've got too much respect for them. They can easily win two of three here."