Megawatt stars dominate these playoffs, but who will be the X-factors?

Postseason could hinge on these wild cards

NEW YORK — Be it Carlos Ruiz or David Price, every postseason seems to produce an unlikely star.

Reserves turn key defensive plays, setup men get big outs and managers make decisions that lead to parades or long winters.

Here are some of the X-factors to watch:

The Yankees were clinging to a 1-0 lead in the eighth inning against Boston on Sept. 26 when manager Joe Girardi inserted Brett Gardner as a pinch runner. The blazer took second on a wild pitch, stole third and eventually scored on Johnny Damon’s two-run single.

New York completed a three-game sweep the next day to clinch the AL East title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Girardi likely will call on Gardner again in a tight spot this postseason after the fleet outfielder finished with 26 steals in 31 attempts.

ALSO KEEP AN EYE ON … Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre, who hit .308 with 30 steals this season

LIKE LAST YEAR, WHEN … pinch-runner Fernando Perez scampered home in the 11th inning to give Tampa Bay a 9-8 victory over Boston in Game 2 of the AL championship series, beating J.D. Drew’s throw after B.J. Upton hit a shallow fly ball to right.

This time of year is the reason the Dodgers traded for Jim Thome and the Rockies signed Jason Giambi in August. The playoff-bound NL West clubs are counting on the aging sluggers to give them some lefty pop off the bench in the playoffs.

Thome has struggled as a pinch hitter this season, going 4 for 25, but has 17 homers in 59 career postseason games. Giambi is 5 for 13 as a pinch hitter this year and has seven homers in 42 career playoff games.

ALSO KEEP AN EYE ON … Giambi’s teammate, Seth Smith, who led the majors with a .472 batting average as a pinch hitter.

LIKE LAST YEAR, WHEN … Matt Stairs came off the bench to hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning of the Philadelphia Phillies’ 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the NL championship series.

Mike Scioscia managed the Angels to their fifth AL West title in six years, overcoming the tragedy of pitcher Nick Adenhart’s death in a car accident in April. Los Angeles has earned six postseason berths in the last eight years under Scioscia.

But the former Dodgers catcher is facing some questions ahead of his team’s postseason opener against longtime nemesis Boston. The Red Sox are 4-0 in playoff series against the Angels, including first-round victories in 2004, 2007 and 2008.

“They’ve played better than us and when they’ve played better than us they’ve beat us,” Scioscia said. “I thought last year we had a much stronger club, we played a better series and they got it done in a couple games late. We’ll have to obviously bring a higher level of play, which we hope to, to beat those guys.”

ALSO KEEP AN EYE ON … how Girardi manages the expectations surrounding the Yankees.

LIKE LAST YEAR, WHEN … Charlie Manuel pushed all the right buttons while leading Philadelphia to its first World Series title since 1980.

Adam Wainwright turned in a terrific season to give St. Louis a strong 1-2 punch at the top of its rotation and two legitimate contenders for the NL Cy Young Award, teaming with Chris Carpenter. Wainwright went 7-1 with a 2.29 ERA in his last 11 starts for the season to finish with a career-best 19 wins and NL-high 233 innings.

“I definitely wanted to be on the top of that list,” the 6-foot-7 right-hander said. “If you lead the league in innings, I feel like you’re giving your team a chance in a lot of games. I feel like I did that this year.”

Wainwright also is used to postseason pressure. He went 1-0 with four saves over 9 2-3 shutout innings in St. Louis’ run to the 2006 title.

ALSO KEEP AN EYE ON … Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier, who had a career-high 31 homers and 106 RBIs this year.

LIKE LAST YEAR, WHEN … Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five postseason starts, winning the World Series MVP award.

Red Sox relief ace Jonathan Papelbon finished with 38 saves on the field and one big one off it, calling Billy Wagner to welcome him to the team after he was publicly lukewarm to the idea before Boston’s August deal with the New York Mets.

Papelbon’s 54 hits and career-high 24 walks in 68 innings caused some discomfort in New England but the 28-year-old righty still recorded a 1.85 ERA. And he’s always been at his best in October, with seven saves and 25 scoreless innings in the postseason.

“I love pressure,” he said. “Pressure is what I strive on. It’s what keeps me going, man. I’m just going to try and pick up where I left off last postseason.”

ALSO KEEP AN EYE ON … the struggles of Philadelphia’s Brad Lidge and St. Louis’ Ryan Franklin.

LIKE LAST YEAR, WHEN … Lidge put the finishing touches on a memorable season, converting each of his seven save opportunities in the playoffs while allowing just one run.

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AP Sports Writer R.B. Fallstrom in St. Louis and AP freelance writers Ken Powtak in Boston and Mike Wagaman in Oakland, Calif., contributed to this report.