By R.B. Fallstrom
The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO - Mike Matheny knows the St. Louis Cardinals mainly count on him for defense. Which makes the catcher's recent contributions at the plate a huge bonus.

Matheny came up with another key hit Saturday, connecting for a rare home run in a 5-4 victory over San Francisco that trimmed the Giants' edge to 2-1 in the NL championship series.

Batting eighth, Matheny is the only Cardinals player with a hit in all six postseason games. He's 7-for-20 so far.

"Well, it's obviously a lot more fun contributing offensively," he said. "I realize that what this team needs me to do is contribute defensively, first and foremost."

Matheny batted .244 with three home runs and 35 RBIs this season. He hadn't homered in 279 at-bats since April 26 before he launched a solo shot off Russ Ortiz in the fourth inning.

"Basically, it's just the normal roller coaster offensive year for me. Sometimes things were going well and I also struggled for a while, too," he said.

Matheny won a Gold Glove in 2000, but missed the playoffs that season because of a freak accident. He severely cut his finger in late September on a hunting knife he'd gotten as a birthday present. He played in the 2001 playoffs and was 2-for-10.

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KILE'S KID: Game 3 of the NL championship series got off to an emotional start when Kannon Kile, the 5-year-old son of Darryl Kile, was introduced along with the rest of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Wearing a white home uniform and sucking on a lollipop, Kannon exchanged a low-five with manager Tony La Russa and several players as they lined up along the first-base line Saturday. Kannon also served as one of the Cardinals' batboys.

The San Francisco Giants paid tribute to Darryl Kile, putting his name on the scoreboard at Pacific Bell Park. One problem: his first name was misspelled, using only one "r" in the first name.

Darryl Kile, a former 20-game winner and the team's clubhouse leader, died June 22 in a Chicago hotel room. The team wears patches on their sleeves commemorating the deaths of Kile and broadcaster Jack Buck, and players also have written Kile's initials and his number on their caps.

There was a moment of silence for Kile, Buck and a longtime Giants employee before the game.

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SHAKE IT UP: The Cardinals had a drastically different lineup for Game 3, with Edgar Renteria hitting second, slumping Tino Martinez batting seventh and Miguel Cairo, an unexpected star in the postseason, back on the bench.

Manager Tony La Russa used a fleet outfield of Eli Marrero in left, Jim Edmonds in center and J.D. Drew in right, and moved Albert Pujols to third.

"It's a big outfield," La Russa said. "And that's our best defense."

It didn't look that way at the start as St. Louis messed up several balls and nearly misplayed a few others. But the Cardinals eventually steadied themselves and won 5-4, cutting their series deficit to 2-1.

Drew hit fifth, Martinez's usual spot in the playoffs. Martinez was hitless in four at-bats, dropping him to 1-for-22 in the postseason.

"The pressure's still there," La Russa said. "It's just a different look. The last time we played here J.D. hit fifth and hit the ball well, so I thought why not?"

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MR. PERFECT: This is the time of year when Livan Hernandez is livin' large.

"I never lose in October," the San Francisco pitcher said earlier this month.

And he's right - Hernandez is 6-0 lifetime in the postseason heading into Sunday's start against St. Louis in Game 4 of the NL championship series.

Hernandez was only 12-16 this year for the Giants, but quickly reversed his fortunes in the playoffs, pitching into the ninth inning to beat Atlanta in Game 4 of the division series.

"I think it's, for me, the same as 2000 and '97 because everything is going perfect right now," he said Saturday.

The Cardinals were aware of Hernandez's record, and his confidence.

"He hasn't been beat yet in the postseason and he's been telling people that," St. Louis reliever Steve Kline said.

Hernandez was the MVP of the 1997 NLCS and World Series for the Florida Marlins. If the Giants beat the Cardinals in this series, he'll have a visitor - his half brother, New York Yankees pitcher Orlando Hernandez.

"I talked to him the other day," Hernandez said. "He's in Miami. He's coming to the World Series if the team wins."

Not that Livan needs any advice about pitching in big games. But if he wants some, Orlando is a good person to ask - El Duque is 9-3 lifetime in the postseason.

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NO ROLEN: When the Cardinals put injured third baseman Scott Rolen on the roster for the NLCS, they were optimistic he might be ready to return from a sprained left shoulder by Game 3.

Not anymore.

Rolen is gradually increasing his work load, taking groundballs from his knees for his upper body and taking light swings. But aside from a brief game of catch, it's all been indoors. That's an important distinction for manager Tony La Russa, and Rolen didn't play in Game 3.

"He's doing more and more, but it's still inside," La Russa said. "When you see him outside, that's when he's getting close."

La Russa said Rolen, who was injured in Game 2 of the division series on Oct. 3, might be available to pinch hit.

"I wouldn't want to run him unless it's to win the game and you don't think there's going to be a collision," La Russa said. "It's pretty risky."

Rolen said he's continuing to make slow but steady progress.

"When I'm healthy enough to play, I'm going to play. It's not a pain issue, it's just whether I'm strong enough and healthy enough to play," Rolen said.

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BENES PERSPECTIVE: While he was running his kids' car pool at the start of the season and contemplating retirement because of a knee injury, Andy Benes said he gained a new perspective on baseball.

It's not that important, the St. Louis pitcher decided.

"I really care about what I do, but I know that it's not a life or death situation," the Cardinals' Game 4 starter said Saturday. "I take a little looser approach, but I think it's really been a benefit to me. I'm a lot more comfortable going out there and the results have been a lot better."