As the only left-hander on the St. Louis pitching staff, it's Ray King's job to come out of the bullpen to face Boston slugger David Ortiz in clutch situations.

01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, October 26, 2004

BY JIM DONALDSON
Journal Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS -- Ray King says he looks forward to facing David Ortiz every night.

And, hot as Ortiz has been during this postseason, King still would rather face him than Barry Bonds, any night.

"There's no comparison," King said yesterday afternoon after the Cardinals worked out at Busch Stadium. "Barry's been doing what he's been doing for years.

"Ortiz is a very good player. He's reached the point where, if a pitcher makes a mistake, he'll capitize on it. But I wouldn't put him on the same plateau as Barry."

Bonds is, without question, the premier power hitter in the game today. But the San Francisco slugger would be hard-pressed to better the numbers Ortiz has put up in the postseason.

Through 12 games, Ortiz is hitting .417 (20-for-48), with 5 home runs and 19 RBI. It's been a fabulous follow-up to what has been a career year for Ortiz, whose 41 homers, .301 batting average, 47 doubles and team-high 139 RBI all are career-highs.

As the only left-hander on the St. Louis pitching staff, it's King's job to come out of the bullpen to face Ortiz in clutch situations.

"I love my role," King said. "I love to pitch in 'do-or-die' situations."

Ortiz has been killing the ball in the postseason.

Facing King in the seventh inning of Game 1 in Boston, Ortiz hit a ground ball so hard at second baseman Tony Womack that, when it took a tricky hop and caromed off Womack's collarbone, he had to leave the game.

"He got me that time," said King. "I got him the next time."

The first time King was brought in to face Ortiz, there were runners at first and third. After giving up the single off Womack's shoulder, which brought home a run, King retired Kevin Millar on a foul pop, then headed for the showers when righty Gabe Kapler pinch-hit for lefty Trot Nixon.

Runners again were at first and third in the sixth inning of Game 2 when, with two outs, King came out of the bullpen to face Ortiz. This time, he struck him out swinging.

"If you keep the ball down against him," King said, "you won't get hurt. If you get the ball up, then he's gonna hurt you."

The 6-foot-1, 242-pound King has been a pain to opposing batters, particularly lefties, all season for the Cards.

Coming to St. Louis from Atlanta in December in a trade that also brought pitchers Jason Marquis and Adam Wainwright in exchange for outfielders J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero, King appeared in a career-high 86 games, all in relief.

He led the team in appearances, and ranked second in the National League in games pitched.

King's appearances tend to be brief -- he pitched a total of just 62 innings -- but effective. He compiled a record of 5-2 while giving up only 43 hits, just one of them a homer. He struck out 40, walked 24, and had an E.R.A. of 2.61.

Used primarily against left-handed batters, they hit a paltry .150 against him (17-for-113).

"I want to pitch in every game," said King, who particularly likes pitching in front of the fans in St. Louis.

"These are the best fans in America," he said. "They come out every night. If you can't play in front of this crowd, you shouldn't be playing baseball."

Asked how he thought the crowds at Fenway Park compared with those in Busch Stadium, King said: "They didn't get as loud as our fans get.

"They were loud for (Curt) Schilling, and (David) Ortiz, and Manny (Ramirez)," he said. "But our fans don't have favorite players. They have a favorite team. They get loud for everybody in our lineup, one through nine."

That type of fan support, King believes, will give the Cardinals, who trail, 2-0, in the Series, a much-needed boost.

"The Red Sox have to be feeling pretty good," he said. "But we're feeling no pressure. They can't win the Series (in Game Three). We're back home now, and we've played great ball here all year."