ST. LOUIS (AP) – On most teams, the No. 2 hitter does the little things to help a team win.

Not the No. 2s in the NLCS.

Carlos Beltran of the Houston Astros batted .455 with four home runs and nine RBIs in the division series, and St. Louis’ Larry Walker is a three-time batting champion who homered twice in the first round.

They are looking to drive in runs, not move up runners or set the table.

“I’ve always had a good third-place hitter that was dangerous,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “So, if you put a 2 guy in front of him that creates problems for the other side because they know 3 is waiting.

“I think it adds a lot, especially in that first inning.”

Beltran and Walker each had a big hit early in Game 1 of the NLCS on Wednesday night. Beltran’s two-run homer off Woody Williams in the first inning gave the Astros the lead and Walker tripled ahead of Albert Pujols’ third homer of the postseason to tie the game.

Both Beltran and Walker were key acquisitions for the postseason run. The Cardinals got Walker from the Colorado Rockies in early August and the Astros plucked Beltran from the Royals in June.

“You add him to your club, he’s a five-tool player,” Houston teammate Craig Biggio said. “There are not too many five-tool players out there.”

Both make power-packed lineups even more dangerous. Beltran gives the Astros another name that fits in a lineup already filled with Killer B’s, and the Cardinals shoehorned Walker, who has batted third virtually his entire career, into the top of the order because there was no place else to put him.

La Russa also considered batting Walker fourth and pushing Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds, the fourth and fifth hitters, down a notch. Walker would have none of it, preferring not to upset the order. The only change was Edgar Renteria moving to the sixth slot, where he’s hit much of his career.

“One of the neat things about Larry in that 2 spot is he’s a very intelligent hitter and a lot of times with the 2 hole especially you’ve got to be smart,” La Russa said. “In a lot of ways he’s an ideal 2 hitter if you like damage from the 2 spot.”

Walker, 37, became the first Canadian-born player to get 2,000 hits earlier this season but he’s in the postseason for only the second time after a nine-year absence. He batted .333 in the first round against Los Angeles after contributing 11 homers and 27 RBIs in 44 games after the Aug. 6 trade for three prospects.

“We were kind of like, Good God, what else do the Cardinals need?”‘ Biggio said.

Walker is content being a complementary weapon for the Cardinals, getting two singles and two walks in their clinching Game 4 victory over the Dodgers.

“I think that really typifies what I’m content doing,” Walker said. “I got a couple of walks and a couple of singles and scored a couple of runs and that’s fine.

“It’s all about winning right now, it’s not about carrying a load. There’s a lot of guys in this lineup who can carry the load so we’re all looking to do it.”

Beltran is 10 years younger than Walker and appears to be entering his prime after hitting 38 homers and driving in 104 runs this year. Walker is among his admirers.

“He’s a lot younger and he’s in better shape,” Walker said. “He’s probably better looking. Maybe I was that player 10 or 11 years ago.”

Beltran is coming off a huge game in the Astros’ Game 5 clincher over Atlanta in which he went 4-for-5 with two homers and five RBIs.

“All this year has been a dream, you know,” Beltran said. “I’m very happy being able to contribute to help the Astros win day in and day out no matter how.”

Hitting second isn’t exactly new for Beltran, who held that spot in the order for the Royals earlier in the season. Beltran hit third for the Astros before Jimy Williams was fired at the All-Star break, then interim manager Phil Garner put him back in the 2 spot.

“I prefer hitting third, but hitting second it’s a good spot for me,” Beltran said. “I can do my thing, I can bunt the ball when I’ve got guys on second base and I can play my game. “I think Phil Garner did a great move moving me back to second.”

AP-ES-10-13-04 2130EDT