Holliday's hot stick sparking rest of Cards

HOUSTON -- It took a month and a half, but the Cardinals finally found out that it is physically possible for Matt Holliday to slump.

A little.

Holliday recently went into his first dip of any kind since joining the Cardinals, going 6-for-30 over a brief stretch last week. Then he emerged from it in the most dramatic way possible, with a walk-off home run against the Cubs on Friday night. Now Holliday seems to be back in the groove, going 6-for-14 with three walks since then.

Cardinals at a glance 2009 record: 91-71 2008 record: 86-76 NL Central champs WHO ARE THESE GUYS? • McClellan: Hometown boy • Cards: Shaking off walk-off • Ludwick: Dream fulfilled • Hawksworth: On way up • Ryan: Playing it cool • Pujols: Ready for fun stuff • Wainwright: Proud, durable • Holliday: Kids' play • Pujols: Triple Crown? • La Russa: 14th postseason • Carpenter: Heart of staff • Pujols: Eschewing rest • Holliday: A perfect fit • Carpenter: Ready to go • La Russa: Getting proactive • Wainwright: Apt pupil • Pujols: His place in history? • Pujols: The evolution • Holliday: Offensive spark • La Russa: Controls fate • Pujols: MVP No. 3? • Wainwright: Mr. Consistent • La Russa: Winning cures all • Carpenter: A go Game 1 • Holliday: Big impact • Wainwright: Cy in cards? More Cardinals coverage • After going all-in, Cards mull 2010 Cards outperformed by robust foe Postseason comes to abrupt end Holliday welcomed warmly despite gaffe Cards look to '04 for motivation Miscue doesn't diminish Holliday's value Holliday joins long line of 'goats' Cards must cash in to save season Wainwright's gem spoiled in errant ninth Under radar, Pineiro a rock for Cards Cards focused, but history against them Wainwright's outing inspires awe Cards' stars frustrated in LA opener Short turnaround awaits Cards, Dodgers Clubs set left-on-base mark in Game 1 Wainwright has experience on his side Rookie relievers fill out roster Carpenter takes long road back to NLDS A whole new season for Cards, Dodgers La Russa, Torre collide in postseason Stability breeds chances for Cardinals NLDS is Pujols' first step toward goal With loss, Cards must pack bags for NLDS Wainwright denied 20th victory Carpenter's grand slam helps rout Reds Smoltz struggles in Cincy Homer bug bites Pineiro against Reds Dinged Ryan, Molina get night off Glaus returns; at-bats could be sparse Cards drop series finale to Rockies NL Central crown secured Wainwright wins 19th in clincher Cards look beyond Central title Cards can't nail down clinch, fall to Rox Pujols is TSN's Player of the Decade Magic number drops to one, despite loss Rout of Astros puts magic number at two DeRosa helps Cards trim magic number La Russa shuffles rotation for weekend Cards appear built for deep playoff run Bats, bullpen pick up Wellemeyer Lohse OK, set for return Smoltz says shoulder feels better

The Cardinals certainly never worried about Holliday, who has helped pace their offense since his arrival in late July. And Holliday didn't really pay it much mind, either.

"We faced some good pitching the last week, but I've been coming off the ball a little bit," he said after hitting the homer. "But I felt like I've had some good at-bats where I haven't gotten any results, and that's part of the game."

Now he's having good at-bats and getting results. And it seems possible that several Cardinals may be getting it going at the same time, something the club hasn't seen in quite a while. Leadoff man Skip Schumaker and MVP favorite Albert Pujols have both been torrid recently. Mark DeRosa seems to have found something in the past few days. And now Holliday, after an ever-so-slight pause, is back to doing what he's been doing all along.

Asked to quantify or explain Holliday's impact on his team's lineup, manager Tony La Russa doesn't get too fancy.

"I look at the won-lost record," La Russa said. "I think he's definitely had an effect on making us deeper and better. Everybody is in a better position to succeed. Pitchers included. [We're] not asking them to do something that's unfair. The only guy we do that to routinely is Albert."

Now Holliday is on the brink of his second postseason appearance, as the Cards' magic number has dropped to two. The club is playing better lately, winning four out of five, than it was a week ago. Life is good for Holliday, and his teammates. That irritating little slump is gone.

"I can't believe that people expect us to win four out of [every] five games for the entire last two months," Holliday said. "You figure at some point you're going to go through a little period where [things don't go as well]. We lost some one-run games that could have gone our way that for a month and a half, were going our way. That's just part of the game. It's not that we were playing terrible. We weren't able to come up with the hits and the timely hitting and were giving up a run here or there that we weren't giving up before. That's how you lose."

And now, they're winning again.