PHOENIX -- Injuries, a bad bullpen, silent bats and an awful outing for a four-time Cy Young Award winner.

	Johnson

	Schilling

The autumn magic was gone for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the financially strapped franchise faces an offseason of big decisions as they try to mount one more title run behind Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.

"Our intention is to be back next year,'' managing general partner Jerry Colangelo said. "We're going to continue to build and try to be competitive. We'll look at all our options.''

The best news is that Johnson and Schilling will be back. So will Luis Gonzalez, Craig Counsell and Danny Bautista. The three missed the postseason with injuries, and their bats were sorely missed by an Arizona offense that scored just six runs in three games while being swept by St. Louis in the NL division series.

"We had a great team all year. We just got decimated by injuries,'' Steve Finley said. "But we don't want to use that as an excuse. Those guys just beat us.''

The Diamondbacks seemed poised for a run at a repeat as World Series champions when they took off following the All-Star break. But there were big problems down the stretch as the team held on for its third NL West crown in four years.

Counsell, Arizona's spark plug and one of the NL's best clutch hitters, never returned from a neck injury in early August, and eventually underwent disk surgery.

Gonzalez and left-handed pitcher Brian Anderson were hurt when the team lost the last seven on its final road trip of the season. Gonzalez -- the team's RBI and home run leader -- separated his left shoulder. Anderson, with a history of doing well in the postseason, broke his right foot.

Bautista, one of the heroes of last year's World Series and off to a strong start this year, had been gone since May with a dislocated shoulder.

"I'd argue we're missing our top three hitters, and it really puts a strain on the offense,'' manager Bob Brenly said. "It really gives the opposition the opportunity to pitch around the guys they think can hurt them the most.''

Finley, an outstanding center fielder coming off a good offensive year, is a free agent after this season. He will be 38 when spring training begins, but remains in prime physical shape, and he is the one player on the roster the Diamondbacks are most likely to re-sign.

The team will say goodbye to players who had big long-term contracts -- Jay Bell and Todd Stottlemyre -- along with pitcher Armando Reynoso. Anderson, a Diamondback since the team's inception in 1998, believes he has played his last game for Arizona.

Greg Colbrunn, a big hitter off the bench, also becomes a free agent after this season, as does right-hander Rick Helling, who signed a one-year deal with a club option for a second season.

Although the contracts will have expired, the Diamondbacks have deferred payments well into the future, draining the team's cash flow.

Still, Arizona should be a contender as long as Johnson and Schilling can pitch at the incredible level they have the past two seasons.

They had a combined 47-12 record and became the first teammates ever to each record 300 strikeouts. For two seasons, they have been the best pitchers in the NL -- a combined 90-24, injury-free and rarely bad for two starts in a row.

Johnson could be headed for a fourth consecutive Cy Young -- and fifth overall -- after becoming the first NL pitcher to win the "triple crown'' of wins (24), strikeouts (334) and ERA (2.35).

Yet Johnson will turn 40 before next season ends. It will be the final year of his contract, and someday that powerful left arm will show signs of age. His last outing was his worst, a 12-2 St. Louis victory in Game 1 of the division series.

Schilling, who faltered down the stretch, turns 36 next month. He had a strong Game 2, but Arizona couldn't get score off Chuck Finley, and the Cardinals won 2-1.

"We just never had any momentum,'' Johnson said. "The momentum just kind of stopped after Curt's game. Things just never clicked for us like they did for them.''

The team again will be searching for starters behind Johnson and Schilling. John Patterson looked good in all but one of his five outings when he was up from Triple-A, and he could get his chance next year.

The bullpen, obviously, needs an overhaul.

Then there is Erubiel Durazo. The big first baseman had a three-homer, nine-RBI game, but again was bothered by injuries. He slumped near the end of the season, then reportedly refused to play right field in the playoffs.

As powerful as Durazo is, the Diamondbacks may be ready to part ways to make room for Lyle Overbay, who finished second in the Pacific Coast League in batting (.343). Mark Grace is sticking around for a final season and would make a good mentor at first.

The Diamondbacks needed just four seasons to win the World Series. Getting back will be a tough, tough road.

"Hopefully, this gives our players a better appreciation of what happened last year, and what we hope to happen next year,'' Brenly said. "Unfortunately, we were undermanned and not up to the task this year, but we'll be back.''