Edmonds adds to big-game image with bases-loaded, two-run double

~ The Cardinals outfielder provided the big hit in Game 3.

ST. LOUIS -- Jim Edmonds' nickname is "Hollywood," a reference to the 36-year-old center fielder's uncanny knack for coming through when everybody is watching.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa surely had that in mind when he kept putting Edmonds in the lineup against lefties this year, despite a puny .156 batting average against them.

Sure enough, facing Detroit Tigers southpaw Nate Robertson in Game 3 of the World Series, Edmonds put his name in lights yet again.

The St. Louis Cardinals' elder statesman, prone more to musing about retirement in a season plagued with injury and struggles at the plate, lined a key double down the first-base line off Robertson in the fourth inning Tuesday night for the first runs in St. Louis' 5-0 victory.

Getting there was a long road for Edmonds.

Post-concussion syndrome had kept him out of the lineup for a month, a sore foot requires a daily numbing injection designed to last until the end of the game, and his aching left shoulder will require surgery in the offseason.

Edmonds was so bad against lefties this season that manager Tony La Russa last month discussed the possibility of platooning the four-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove winner against tough lefties in the playoffs.

Then again, La Russa knows Edmonds' history, and he's been out there throughout the playoffs, routinely tracking down fly balls even when he couldn't help on offense. In the NL championship series, Edmonds made a spectacular catch at the wall in the sixth inning of Game 5 to rob the Mets' Jose Reyes, a play that didn't make it into the conversation because it came in a 12-5 New York rout.

Edmonds was only 1-for-15 in the 2004 World Series, a rare postseason power failure. But he helped the Cardinals get there with his 12th-inning home run off the Astros' Dan Miceli in Game 6 of the NLCS.

So far, Edmonds' second World Series appearance has been a rousing success. He's 4-for-9 with a team-leading four RBIs and is batting .296 overall in the postseason with two homers and a team-leading 10 RBIs.

Edmonds' key double Wednesday night demonstrated that Edmonds perhaps just needed time to clear his head. The Tigers were convinced: When Edmonds came to bat again in the seventh with two outs and a runner on third, Jason Grilli walked him intentionally.

Edmonds batted just .257 with 70 RBIs this year, his lowest totals by far in seven seasons in St. Louis. His gung-ho defensive game is mainly to blame.

Walls have never scared Edmonds, who's scaled many for highlight-reel catches. On June 21, he paid for a crash into a wall with the first concussion of his career.

Post-concussion symptoms cropped up later. Edmonds went a month, from mid-August to mid-September, between starts before he could play again. After being removed from an Aug. 17 game due to blurred vision, dizziness and general confusion, he made only four starts in the final six weeks.

Now, once again, he's in his element.