Hermanson accepts new bullpen job

ST. LOUIS -- Moving from the rotation to the bullpen for the first round of the playoffs is OK with St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dustin Hermanson.

"It shouldn't be hard in the playoffs," Hermanson said. "It had better not be hard. I have no choice, plain and simple. I've got to get the job done."

Hermanson tied his career high with 14 victories and made 33 starts during the regular season, but he's no stranger to relief work. Last year with the Montreal Expos he had four saves, and in his career he has made 48 relief appearances.

"He was drafted as a reliever," Manager Tony La Russa said Thursday. "That's the edge we have."

Hermanson is an emotional pitcher, but he said he'll keep himself under control if he's used.

"You just go out there and get people out," he said. "That's the way you look at it. I'm not trying to make this too complicated."

Hermanson warmed up during Game 2, but said he was just getting in a workout.

The Cardinals' bullpen has done well in the first two games. Steve Kline picked up the save in Wednesday's 4-1 victory over Arizona, allowing one hit in his first postseason appearance.

"I was a nervous wreck inside," Kline said. "I don't want to fail and let all of the people in St. Louis down and my family back home down."

Kline said it's tough being in the bullpen.

"It's emotionally draining," he said. "I go home so tired at night and I think, 'Man, I can't believe I'm so tired."'

-- RAINY DAY: Daylong showers limited the workout Thursday to a few games of catch for both teams.

A rain postponement on Friday would be good for the Diamondbacks, giving aces Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson a day to recuperate. Manager Bob Brenly said Thursday that Schilling could possibly pitch in Game 4 on three days' rest anyway.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa doesn't think there will be a rainout.

"I think we're going to play tomorrow and I think we'll play Saturday," La Russa said. "They don't rain out too many games here."

-- NO OFFENSE: Neither team knows what to make of the low-scoring start to the series. The Cardinals have scored four runs in two games, the Diamondbacks only two.

"Games you anticipate to be low-scoring sometimes turn out to be football games and matchups where you think a lot of runs should be scored turn out to be great pitcher duels," Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly said. "I don't think there's any easy way to predict what's going to happen in any of these postseason games."

La Russa expects the low-scoring trend to continue.

"I expect another well-pitched game, even though I love our offense," he said.

-- FAMILIAR FACE: Arizona's Luis Gonzalez is familiar with St. Louis starter Darryl Kile, who will face the Diamondbacks Friday night. The two were teammates with the Houston Astros.

"I know he's a competitor," Gonzalez said. "When he's on, he's probably has one of the best curveballs in baseball. He goes out there and gives you everything he's got."

The Diamondbacks haven't seen Kile since early April, but they know what to expect.

"Unless you catch him on an off-night, where he's losing his locations, you know it'll be a battle to score runs against him," Brenly said. "Our offense will have its hands full against him."