(My Sportsbook) - Aside from teammate Randy Johnson, Arizona's Curt Schilling has been the best pitcher in the major leagues over the last two seasons.

With a 45-13 record, 609 strikeouts and a 3.10 earned run average in his last two campaigns, Schilling has become the game's top righthanded hurler. He was seemingly on the path to his first career Cy Young Award this year before the month of September severely hurt his chances.

Entering the regular season's final month, the 35-year-old Schilling was 21-5 with a 2.77 ERA. He proceeded to win his first two September appearances, but his last four outings were ugly.

Meanwhile, Johnson emerged as the front-runner for the Cy Young after turning in a 5-0 September with three complete games and a minuscule 0.66 ERA. At the end of the regular season, Johnson was 24-5 with a 2.32 earned run average, while Schilling was 23-7 with a 3.23 ERA.

Questions stemming from his elbow to his mechanics and overall stamina began to surface after Schilling surrendered a total of 22 runs -- 21 earned -- on 31 hits over 24 1/3 frames in his final four appearances.

After all, including the postseason, Schilling has thrown 564 1/3 innings in the last two years. Maybe the heavy workload on a surgically repaired arm was beginning to take its toll on the 6-foot-4, 235-pound righthander.

"Everybody is ready to make excuses for me," Schilling said. "Nothing could be farther from the truth. I feel great physically. Mentally, yeah, I'm a little bruised. I stunk it up my last five or six starts. No one wants their psyche beat like that."

In his final appearance of the regular season, a one-inning stint out of the bullpen against the Colorado Rockies, Schilling permitted three runs on three hits, including a home run.

Former pitcher and current broadcaster Rick Sutcliffe worked the game and said during the telecast that Schilling was tipping his pitches. In fact, Sutcliffe correctly predicted the pitch Schilling would throw on all 16 of his offerings during his Sunday's contest at Bank One Ballpark.

"I will pay it the consideration I think it deserves, looking at video," said Schilling, who admitted he spoke with Sutcliffe following Sunday's contest. "I don't think that's why I've been getting hit. I've been getting hit because I haven't executed and didn't make my pitches. Certainly it's something that if I feel it needs to be addressed, I'll address it."

Members of the Cardinals and Schilling's teammates downplayed the situation, while Arizona manager Bob Brenly said everything will be fine when his other ace steps on the mound for Thursday's Game 2.

"Schill is a very intelligent man, and we have a lot of experienced baseball eyes looking at video the last couple of days," explained Brenly. "If there's something there, we'll correct it."

Given Schilling's postseason history, the Diamondbacks feel good about their chances to send the series to Busch Stadium tied at one game apiece. Over 10 postseason starts, the 2001 World Series co-MVP is 5-1 with a 1.70 earned run average and 84 strikeouts in 79 2/3 innings.

Against the Cardinals in last year's National League Division Series, he was 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA as the Diamondbacks won in five contests. Schilling was on the bump for the fifth and deciding game, working nine frames and allowing one run on six hits as Arizona prevailed by a 2-1 score.

"Curt Schilling is probably the best postseason pitcher of this era," veteran "Curt Schilling is probably the best postseason pitcher of this era," veteran first baseman Mark Grace gushed. "Honestly, if my life depended on one game, I

would want him to have the baseball. I worry about earthquakes, hurricanes and volcanoes. I don't worry about Curt Schilling."

Thursday afternoon, we'll find out if all the talk surrounding Schilling was just that ... talk.