Tavarez fractures finger in tantrum

St. Louis righty Julian Tavarez broke his left hand during a dugout tantrum in Game 4 of the N.L. Championship Series, and it was uncertain Monday when the reliever would pitch again.

The excitable Tavarez tried to trash the bench shortly after giving up a tiebreaking home run to Carlos Beltran in the seventh inning of Houston’s 6-5 win Sunday.

Before Game 5, the Cardinals said Tavarez fractured the fourth finger and bones in his left hand.

“He punched the phone, so that’s when it happened,” manager Tony La Russa said. “I don’t know if he’ll pitch tonight, but he’ll pitch in the series.”

Tavarez became the second prominent pitcher to recently hurt himself in a fit of anger. Yankees righty Kevin Brown broke his left hand when he punched a clubhouse wall in early September, and did not pitch much before the playoffs.

The Cardinals and Astros were tied at 2 going into Monday night’s game, and La Russa hoped to have Tavarez back soon.

“When I left the clubhouse, they were fashioning some kind of splint,” he said. “I think he can pitch.”

Tavarez was 7-4 with four saves and a 2.38 ERA in 77 games during the regular season. He is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in five games during this postseason.

La Russa asked the Cardinals’ medical staff how it was possible Tavarez might recover so soon when Brown missed a lot of time.

“I got the explanation: He had a pin inserted and had some kind of cast or big splint that would have made it impossible for him to function,” La Russa said.

Earlier Monday, the Astros apologized to the Cardinals, saying they erred by showing a replay of Tavarez’s antics on the stadium scoreboard.

“We made a mistake in judgment by playing that,” Astros spokesman Jay Lucas said. “We meant no disrespect to the Cardinals’ organization.

“We apologize for it,” he said. “We want to show both teams in a positive light. It won’t happen again.”

Lucas said the entertainment operators at Minute Maid Park who showed the replay did not lose their jobs and were not disciplined.

Before Game 5, La Russa said he had not gotten an apology directly from the Astros.

“No, they haven’t. They don’t have to. They haven’t said anything,” he said. “So they had a hiccup, they’re still classy. You don’t forget how they’ve been for years. It’s not a big deal.”

A day earlier, La Russa was bothered.

“I think ever since I’ve been around, since 1996, the Astros are as classy an organization as anything I’ve met in the National League,” he said Sunday. “But even Sinatra clears his throat, and I think that was below their standards and that was disappointing.”

Boone’s funeral scheduled for Sunday

The funeral for Ray Boone, the patriarch of a three-generation baseball family, has been scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday at the First United Methodist Church in suburban El Cajon, near San Diego.

A family member had initially indicated the funeral would be Friday.

Colorado turns down Reed’s option year

The Colorado Rockies declined their mutual 2005 option for right-handed reliever Steve Reed.

A member of the original Rockies, Reed is the team’s all-time leader in ERA (3.63) and appearances (461).