National League Championship Series matchups

First Base

Astros: Jeff Bagwell hit .318 with two homers and five RBIs in series against Atlanta, by far the best playoff performance of his career. He battled through shoulder pain all season.

Cardinals: Albert Pujols is one of the game's top offensive powers. He's only third player in major league history to drive in 500 runs in his first four seasons. Pujols is underrated on defense.

Edge: Cardinals.

Second Base

Astros: Jeff Kent, a four-time All-Star, holds major league record for homers at the position and remains a dangerous hitter. Kent, 36, is a liability on defense, but hustles and is one of the team's fiercest competitors.

Cardinals: Tony Womack has resurrected career after a spring training trade from the Red Sox. He has sparked the top of the lineup. He made 15 errors.

Edge: Astros.

Shortstop

Astros: Jose Vizcaino, 38, boasts World Series experience with Yankees in 2000. He was a reserve for most of the season until Adam Everett went down with a broken left wrist on Aug. 6. He was productive at plate (.274, 33 RBIs in 138 games) and is one of team's best defensive players.

Cardinals: Edgar Renteria had a slight drop-off offensively, batting .287 after a .330, 100-RBI year last season. Still, among the team's top clutch hitters. Good range, strong arm.

Edge: Cardinals.

Third Base

Astros: Morgan Ensberg struggled this year after hitting career-high 25 homers last season. He finished with 10 this year. Back spasms limited his effectiveness in September, and he was replaced by Mike Lamb for 21 games.

Cardinals: Scott Rolen likely would have been NL MVP at All-Star break. The cleanup hitter was key to team taking control of Central. Dogged by injuries to his left knee and left calf in second half, he enters the series in 3-for-29 slump. Defensively, he has no peer.

Edge: Cardinals.

Catcher

Astros: Brad Ausmus is a former two-time Gold Glove winner. He hit .248 with little power and is often replaced offensively in late innings.

Cardinals: Mike Matheny is among best defensively at his position and prized for his handling of pitching staff. He bats eighth and had a career-best 50 RBIs but tied Pujols for team lead in RBIs (5) in NLDS.

Edge: Cardinals.

Left Field

Astros: Craig Biggio, 38, still is one of the game's best leadoff hitters. He hit. 281 with a career-high 24 homers. He was 8-of-20 (.400) with a homer and four RBIs in the NLDS. The team's worst defensive player.

Cardinals: Reggie Sanders adds occasional pop and speed to the attack with a flair for the occasional dramatic hit.

Edge: Astros.

Center Field

Astros: Carlos Beltran is one of the most talented players in the majors. In his first playoff series, he was 10-of-22 (.455) with a club-record four homers and eight RBIs.

Cardinals: Jim Edmonds had a big second half that propelled him into MVP talk along with teammates Pujols and Rolen. He hit 42 homers, one off franchise record for left-handed hitters set by Johnny Mize in 1940. Can be streaky. Acrobatic, one of best at his position.

Edge: Even.

Right Field

Astros: Lance Berkman, a switch-hitter, is the most powerful bat in a star-studded lineup. His production fell off a bit after strong start, but he bounced back during the playoff run.

Cardinals: Larry Walker, a three-time NL batting champion, was the final piece to game's best lineup, thriving in the second slot ahead of Pujols.

Edge: Even.

Starting Pitching

Astros: RH Brandon Backe, RH Pete Munro, RH Roger Clemens, RH Roy Oswalt. Few teams can boast a combination like Clemens and Oswalt -- but they won't pitch the first two games after closing out the opening round. Clemens led the majors in winning percentage (.818) and Oswalt was the NL's only 20-game winner. Backe was a reliever most of the year until proving himself worthy of spot in rotation in August. Won crucial games for Astros en route to NLCS.

Cardinals: RH Woody Williams, RH Matt Morris, RH Jeff Suppan, RH Jason Marquis. The rotation was the reason St. Louis was picked to finish third in the Central behind the Cubs and Astros. Instead, Marquis (15 wins), Suppan (16) and injured Chris Carpenter (15) put together career years. Carpenter is out with nerve damage in his right biceps, and Morris has had up-and-down season, leaving Williams as the de facto ace.

Edge: Cardinals -- would be different if Clemens and Oswalt opened the series.

Relief Pitching

Astros: RH Brad Lidge, RH Dan Miceli, RH Chad Qualls, RH Dan Wheeler, RH Russ Springer, LH Mike Gallo, RH Chad Harville. After Octavio Dotel was traded in June, Lidge emerged as one of the league's best closers. He throws a fastball that routinely clocks in the high 90s, helping him set a NL record for strikeouts by a reliever. This is his first meaningful October. Middle relief struggled early in the year but came on strong near end.

Cardinals: RH Jason Isringhausen, RH Julian Tavarez, LH Ray King, LH Steve Kline, RH Kiko Calero, RH Dan Haren, RH Cal Eldred. St. Louis' bullpen had a 3.01 ERA, best in the NL. Isringhausen had a career-best 47 saves in 54 opportunities, and manager Tony La Russa can lefty-righty the opposition with Tavarez, King and Kline. Haren, who'll likely be in the rotation next year, is long relief insurance in case one of the starters struggle.

Edge: Cardinals.

Bench

Astros: 3B Mike Lamb, OF Jason Lane, C Raul Chavez, OF Orlando Palmeiro, SS Adam Everett. Lamb filled in nicely for the injured Ensberg, contributing greatly to the Astros' offensive resurgence with a career-high 14 homers and 58 RBIs in 112 games. Chavez has one of the game's best arms from behind the plate. Everett was Houston's best defensive player before Beltran joined the team. He might not be fully recovered from a broken left wrist.

Cardinals: UT Marlon Anderson, UT John Mabry, OF Roger Cedeno, UT Hector Luna, C Yadier Molina, OF So Taguchi. There's a lot of flexibility with this group. Luna has played five positions; Mabry four. Anderson tied for NL lead with 17 pinch hits. Taguchi is often a late defensive replacement and is also the team's best bunter. Cedeno had 11 pinch hits and St. Louis was 24-14 in his rare starts.

Edge: Cardinals.

Manager

Astros: Phil Garner. Replaced Jimy Williams at All-Star break and guided team from .500 to its first playoff series win. He had no postseason experience as a manager until this October, spending his previous 10 seasons with lowly Milwaukee and Detroit. He pushed all the right buttons down the stretch, but made a few questionable decisions that cost the Astros Game 4 of the NLDS.

Cardinals: Tony La Russa. This is his 10th postseason appearance and it's one of his best managing jobs, as evidenced by the team's MLB-leading 105 wins despite an unheralded pitching staff.

Edge: Cardinals.

Prediction

Cardinals in 6.