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US Presswire photo The Rangers came roaring back last night to even up the series. |
Which means tonight's game can't decide the Fall Classic. Though it can certainly go a long way toward deciding who ultimately wins this thing. I would contend the pressure is still on the Rangers to win tonight; the last thing they want is to go to Busch Stadium down 3-2.
But that means Texas is going to have to beat Chris Carpenter, who tossed a gem in Game 1 and will be again pitching on full rest. Which also means C.J. Wilson is going to have to be at his very best, building off his strong outing in the series opener and forgetting about those disastrous starts from earlier in the postseason.
In the 41 previous World Series that were tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 went on to win it all 27 times. Obviously, being up 3-2 is a nice advantage, though it's not an insurmountable deficit...
107th WORLD SERIES - GAME 5
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS at TEXAS RANGERS
Where: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
Gametime: 8:05 p.m.
TV: Fox
Radio: WTEM (980 AM), WWXT (92.7 FM), WWXX (94.3 FM), XM 89
Weather: Clear, 79 degrees, Wind 6 mph LF to RF
STARTING LINEUPS
CARDINALS
SS Rafael Furcal
RF Allen Craig
1B Albert Pujols
LF Matt Holliday
DH Lance Berkman
3B David Freese
C Yadier Molina
CF Skip Schumaker
2B Nick Punto
(P Chris Carpenter)
RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
CF Josh Hamilton
DH Michael Young
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Nelson Cruz
LF David Murphy
C Mike Napoli
1B Mitch Moreland
(P C.J. Wilson)
Don't know if this is much of a surprise or not, but the Phillies have declined the 2012 options on both Lidge and Oswalt.
ReplyDeleteForget that pointy-ball game, I'm ready for some more baseball. Go, Cards!
ReplyDeleteWould we want Oswalt at all? Could be a high risk reward thing. I wonder how many years he'll get. He's a bit of wildcard at this point.
ReplyDeleteAs for LoLidge, Madson makes him no big loss.
Thanks for the update Slidell.
And CJ Wilson not looking like such a big prize at this point.
ReplyDeleteIf Texas is plagued by the curse of Bob Short (as it well should be), let it be that they are consigned to error-prone ball. And let it continue.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteAnd CJ Wilson not looking like such a big prize at this point.
October 24, 2011 9:00 PM
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I was thinking the same thing. His value has dropped. So instead of getting $20 million he will get $18 million
The score may be tied, but Wilson just did not look great - and he has not looked very good for quite some time. Warning signs. How about Shumaker? Plays everywhere including outfield, hits, good clubhouse guy, free agent? Might be a good pick up.
ReplyDeleteDerek Norris with a 2-2 game w/ a double and HR. BA up to .333
ReplyDeleteGonat - even though the baseball has been outstanding, I have been craving any little bit of Nats news - thanks!
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe there isn't such a thing as clutch hitting after all, at least for the Cardinals (on the other hand, Napoli is looking like MVP). The lobbing of the Rangers defense was rendered moot by the LOBing of the Cardinals offense. Throw in, or out, a couple of runners and that's your ballgame. Another unhappy flight as they head to St. Louis with their backs to the wall. Cue the squirrel, or the bats, or something. In other news, I'm not usually one to pile on broadcasters, but several times last night I was torn between hitting the off button and the mute button. Da-ang, fellas. Nats news? Sure, I'll take it. :-)
ReplyDeleteNo way Cards come back with Lohse slated to start game 7 even if STL manages to beat Lewis tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteToo many lost opportunities last night. Anyways, would love to see a game 7 even if Rangers win it all.