2011 WS IST - Rangers & Cards

[Frayed Knot]

[u:2cusnixv]GAME 1[/u:2cusnixv]

CJ Wilson & Chris Carpenter

[G-Fafif]

Chilly, loud and sprinkled with Redbird fairy dust thus far.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Here's to blowing up every stupid lefty-righty switch, extraneous hit-and-run, and delay-of-game tactic out of the Best Dugout In Baseball. This is growing unsettlingly NLCS-shaped at rapid speed.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I watched virtually all of the ALCS, and a good portion of the ALDS, and I had no idea Esteban German was on the roster.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

LaRussa's a terrible influence on a young manager.

[Ceetar]

Cardinals take game one I guess.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

yawn. Rangers have to be good enough not to be the third straight superior team to lose to these Cardinals.

[Frayed Knot]

I think it all turned on Texas when Washington had Andrus bunt with a runner on and no one out.

Having Hamilton not hitting isn't doing Texas any favors either.

[Edgy MD]

If Hamilton hits like Hamilton, this would be a series and a half.

[Frayed Knot]

Word is that he's hurt - groin or something.
His stats in the first two rounds weren't as bad as I thought -- he was 12 for 41 including 5 doubles + 2 BBs -- but he, like Ryan Braun, hasn't seemed to be in the middle of the action at all even when he does get his hits.
Also went back on that deep fly a bit casually which allowed even Lance Berkman to tag from 1st. Didn't lead to a run, but it could have.

[Frayed Knot]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Here's to blowing up every stupid lefty-righty switch, extraneous hit-and-run, and delay-of-game tactic out of the Best Dugout In Baseball. This is growing unsettlingly NLCS-shaped at rapid speed.

Results the same too.
Cards only gave up 6 hits - and used 6 pitchers to do so.
The 5 relievers got 9 outs while giving up 1 hit and 1 walk (to the 2nd & 3rd batters they faced).
The last 4 relievers got the final 8 Texas batters in a row (1, 1, 2, and 3).

Starting to smell a bit like the '96 Yanx: a bunch of not very heralded middle relievers who suddenly turn virtually perfect when needed.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Frayed Knot wrote: Word is that he's hurt - groin or something. His stats in the first two rounds weren't as bad as I thought -- he was 12 for 41 including 5 doubles + 2 BBs -- but he, like Ryan Braun, hasn't seemed to be in the middle of the action at all even when he does get his hits. Also went back on that deep fly a bit casually which allowed even Lance Berkman to tag from 1st. Didn't lead to a run, but it could have.

If that's true about his Lil' Crackpipe, then he really, REALLY should hit. An achy Hamilton has a fraction of a healthy Hamilton's power (just check 2009), and is a lot worse in center field than, say, Endy or Gentry (and worse there when healthy than Washington probably realizes).

[HahnSolo]

Jonah Keri takes down Ron Washington. And there is little I disagree with.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/7104/cardinals-win-the-battle-of-managers-game-1

[Frayed Knot]

[u:2ktwa7yq]GAME 2[/u:2ktwa7yq]

Colby Lewis vs Jamie Garcia (L)

[batmagadanleadoff]

HahnSolo wrote: Jonah Keri takes down Ron Washington. And there is little I disagree with. http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/7104/cardinals-win-the-battle-of-managers-game-1

Nice read.

Jonah Keri for grantland.com wrote: Still, The Jazayerli Prophecy came true. Talk to anyone in the Rangers organization, from the players up to the front office, and they'll praise Ron Washington's ability to manage personalities and run a harmonious clubhouse. Those are difficult skills to quantify, but they exist, and teams certainly benefit from such skills. But Washington just isn't good at making in-game decisions, and the Cardinals can (and just did) eat his lunch when that happens.

Swapping Terry Collins's name for Ron Washington's works just the same.

[ashie62]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Word is that he's hurt - groin or something. His stats in the first two rounds weren't as bad as I thought -- he was 12 for 41 including 5 doubles + 2 BBs -- but he, like Ryan Braun, hasn't seemed to be in the middle of the action at all even when he does get his hits. Also went back on that deep fly a bit casually which allowed even Lance Berkman to tag from 1st. Didn't lead to a run, but it could have. If that's true about his Lil' Crackpipe, then he really, REALLY should hit. An achy Hamilton has a fraction of a healthy Hamilton's power (just check 2009), and is a lot worse in center field than, say, Endy or Gentry (and worse there when healthy than Washington probably realizes).

Lil Crackpipe? Really?

[G-Fafif]

Andrus-Kinsler: Beautiful.

So much for the conventional wisdom that hitting would overpower this Series (as ever, subject to change).

[G-Fafif]

Sweet-ass DPs all around, actually.

[Frayed Knot]

G-Fafif wrote: Andrus-Kinsler: Beautiful.

X 2

[Frayed Knot]

Keith would be lecturing Michael Young for not getting off the base there after holding on the runner and into position to field that hopper by Punto.
Young played his way into a backhand and couldn't make it.

[Frayed Knot]

So now that the Cards PH'd for their starter and have the lead, how many pitchers does Tony use to get through the rest of the game?

- two
- three
- four
- five
- six or more


(one is not an option)

[Frayed Knot]

Mike Adams* - 2006 Norfolk Tide - in for Texas



* Got him in May of that year from Milwaukee in a deal for (the late) Geremi Gonzalez, then lost him on waivers to Cleveland a few weeks later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Here we go, leadoff single in the 9th for Texas

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

wow, stolen base. Close!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Andrus with a hit and takes second on the bad throw which mighta scored Kinsler

[Frayed Knot]

Good thing Washington took that bunt off.

In comes Authur Lee (Colossus of) Rhodes

[Gwreck]

Hamilton Sac Fly ties it

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Lance Lynn?

Seriously, it's like they forgot to pat down Genius at the postseason gate, and he snuck in, like, five extra random relievers in his coat pockets.

Edited October 20, 2011 by Guest

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Well those obviously are big runs. If they hold up, huge mo shift for Texas.

[Frayed Knot]

Well this makes the weekend games more interesting.
Woulda sucked the other way unless you're ga-ga for the Cards