ST. LOUIS - Another round of playoffs is giving Scott Rolen a chance to get his timing back.

The St. Louis Cardinals advanced to the NL championship series for the third time in five years, dispatching the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games in the opening round.

They did it without much of a contribution from their top RBI man.

Rolen drove in 124 runs and batted .358 with runners in scoring position, second-best in the NL. But he has been injured much of the final month and is still trying to get his timing back.

He was hitless in 12 at-bats in the division series, settling for six walks. Several times during the first round, manager Tony La Russa said Rolen wasn't completely healthy but was "playable." And defense at third base has been a constant for the five-time Gold Glove winner.

The best-of-seven NLCS begins Wednesday night in St. Louis. The Cardinals play the Houston-Atlanta winner.

Rolen was sidelined for 16 games with a strained left calf muscle sustained Sept. 10 legging out a double right after fouling a pitch off his shin. He's in a 3-for-29 slump overall with one home run since returning.

Teammates expect more of a typical contribution in the NLCS.

"I think he's a little bit off," first baseman Albert Pujols said. "But he's a strong guy and he knows that he's going to get his hits. I'm pretty sure he's going to come around. He's the best third baseman in the league and I know he's going to come up big when we need it."

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