Tony La Russa can’t stay away from talking about Scott Rolen. The two have had very little conversation since Rolen believed he was benched in Game 2. La Russa explained he didn’t like something in the third baseman’s swing.

So prior to last night’s NLCS Game 7 at Shea Stadium, La Russa said after watching tape of Rolen’s ninth-inning at-bat in Game 6, Rolen needed to make an adjustment and he wasn’t being hindered by a surgically repaired left shoulder.

Rolen doubled off Billy Wagner in the ninth after going 0-for-3 and leaving the bases loaded in the first inning of a 4-2 loss and hitting into an inning-ending double play in the sixth.

“I looked at that last at-bat 20 times when I got to the ballpark because I’m convinced in my own mind that his struggles are more needing to make an adjustment in his approach than they are his shoulder,” La Russa said of Rolen, who lugged a .235 (4-for-17) average into Game 7 and hadn’t driven in a run. In nine postseason games Rolen was batting .179 (5-for-28) without an RBI.

“That’s because he’s got that stroke area, however you describe it, and that’s a good-looking swing that he can repeat productively.” La Russa was looking for Rolen to break out and help the Cardinals get to the World Series for the second time in three seasons. And he wasn’t alone.

“We really haven’t had a game yet in the first six were right through the game offensively,” La Russa said.

Rolen wasn’t alone in his Game 6 struggles.

No. 3 hitter Albert Pujols went 2-for-3 but the Mets gladly traded two singles that didn’t lead to a run.

Jim Edmonds, the cleanup man, went 0-for-3, fanned twice and was hitless in two at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Juan Encarnacion, No. 5 hitter, went 1-for-3 with a ninth-inning single off Billy Wagner. However, he fanned against John Maine with two on to end the the third.