2011 WS IST - Rangers & Cards

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I should know enough about the Cardinals not to say this but I think Texas rolls from here.

The night they finally get good starting pitching their bullpen fails them. Not a good sign.

[Frayed Knot]

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.

Lancelot Lynn: Secret Reliever

[G-Fafif]

Redbirds have thin skin...except for those who were taken under the wing of a Met.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Albert Pujols acknowledges he made an error when he failed to cut off a throw in Game 2 of the World Series but says his errors did not extend to his failure to talk to reporters about the play in the clubhouse afterward. "What do you want, me to wait for 40 minutes for you guys? I mean I was in the (kitchen) getting something to eat," Pujols said after batting practice Friday afternoon. "What about the night before when I spoke for an hour and a half? That's not fair. I think with you guys, I have to walk on eggshells. I don't think that's fair. I was there and usually (Cardinals media relations director Brian Bartow) comes around and says, 'Hey, they need you over there.' Nobody approached me for 40 minutes. You know what? After 40 minutes I was on my way home." Reporters are not allowed into the team kitchen or back rooms of a major league clubhouse; only in the communal area where players have their lockers. Veteran players -- especially those who have played in the postseason where there are many reporters -- know they are expected to make themselves available in the clubhouse, particularly when that player had a key role in the game's outcome. Pujols, however, was not in the clubhouse when media was admitted after the game nor did he appear at any time afterward. His street clothes also were gone, an indication he would be unavailable because he had likely gone home. "I guess the way you guys are ripping me off, I guess I need to stay tomorrow in the clubhouse until you guys decide to talk to me," Pujols said when asked whether he has a responsibility to talk to reporters. "My responsibility is to my God and my family, I don't have any responsibility to anybody else. And I try to do the best I can to represent the game of baseball. I do that. Sometimes you make a mistake. Do I feel I made a mistake last night? I don't think so. What can I do? I was waiting and nobody approached me. There is nothing I can do." Reporters wanted to speak with Pujols after the game to get his take on the crucial ninth inning play when he failed to cut off centerfielder John Jay's throw toward the plate. That error allowed Elvis Andrus advance to second base and eventually score. "As soon as I saw that big turn (around third) by Ian Kinsler I knew I had a chance to get him if I cut that ball and throw to third," Pujols said Friday. "He did take that big turn and I took my eyes off the ball and obviously I missed it. There is nothing I can do but move on and get ready to play tomorrow." After reviewing the missed cutoff several times after the game, the official scorer charged Pujols with an error. "It has to be an error, it hit my glove," Pujols said, adding that he makes that play 99 times out a 100, but the ball cut away from him like a cut fastball. "If you want to blame me for that because we lost the game, then go ahead and blame me, I don't care. It is what it is. You have to stand up for it." Pujols was not the only player who was not available Thursday night. Catcher Yadier Molina, outfielder Matt Holliday and outfielder Lance Berkman also were not in the clubhouse. "That won't happen again. I'll make sure -- if I have to stand in there -- that one of us is available for comment, win or lose," said Berkman, who almost always makes himself accessible to the media. "Again, it was unintentional and I'm sorry that was the way it worked out. I think there's a problem with the system. If you want to criticize us for last night, we deserved that, that's warranted. If you want to paint with a broad brush, I don't think that's accurate." In comparison, St. Louis reliever Jason Motte, who blew the save, was available when the media was allowed in the clubhouse and withstood wave after wave of reporters questions for more than 30 minutes. He said a player has a responsibility to do so, a lesson he said Jason Isringhausen taught him. "He told me that if you can talk to everyone on a day you strike the side out then you have to come out and face the music on one of those other days," Motte said. "It's part of the business. It's not fun talking about it but that's the way it and that's the way you have to handle it. You have to man up and that's the way it is." Rangers veteran Michael Young said talking to the media is part of the job and helps take the heat off other players. "I do think there is a responsibility," Young said. "You guys have a job to do. These are big games and it's just a matter of being respectful. You guys have jobs to do, too. You're not here for your health. If I can help I will."

[Edgy MD]

Well, Pujols was called a coward on the front page of Yahoo, among other things, which is some really nasty stuff.

[bmfc1]

So what? He's only available to the media when he's called a future Hall of Famer? He's a phenomenal player but he showed a lack of character the other night. Maybe he'll hit a home run tonight and talk to the press. Let's see what he does if he goes 0 for 4 and strikes out to end the game.

[Edgy MD]

I think you got the order mixed up there. He was called a coward for not speaking with them, and then spoke with them.

[Frayed Knot]

Pujols also got prickly with the NY media back in '06 IIRC.

Sherman's got a piece in today's NYPost about how incidents like this/these show Albert to be unsuitable for NYC should he follow through on this FA stuff ... at least that's what the headline implies it's about seeing as how I didn't read it on account of my being turned off by NY media types writing articles about how tough it is to survive the NY media. At some point they're no longer writing about the subject but about themselves.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Oh, the fundies.

[Frayed Knot]

[u:1ob2fpaa]GAME 3[/u:1ob2fpaa]

So now that the Texas defense is falling apart just like the Brewer D did (with some help from the ump at 1st) is anyone besides me surprised that Ron Washington went with their usual catcher Napoli at 1st and all-purpose IFer Young at DH instead of the other way around?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

/Raises hand

[Edgy MD]

Texas rallying back nicely.

Lance Lynn in the game for St. Louis.

Theere shouldn't be guys wearing the number 62 pitching in the World Series.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

"The fifth inning is brought to you by Stanley Tools... when you want to mercilessly, relentlessly pound something, choose a Stanley."

[Edgy MD]

Man, Yorvit Torrealba. What's this Almost-a-2006-Met doing starting a World Series game?

[Edgy MD]

And he walks to torreload the torrebase with two torreouts.

Let's go, Kinsler.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Please, Hombre, Don't Hurt 'Em.

I'm guessing he'll talk to reporters after this one.

[Edgy MD]

He's certainly taking more than the coward's share tonight.

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah Tony, better change pitchers now. Never know when that eight run lead might just disappear on you.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Frayed Knot wrote: GAME 3 So now that the Texas defense is falling apart just like the Brewer D did (with some help from the ump at 1st) is anyone besides me surprised that Ron Washington went with their usual catcher Napoli at 1st and all-purpose IFer Young at DH instead of the other way around?

I think I figured it out-- if your catcher WhiteTower, say, takes a backswing to the helmet and has to come out, Napoli can still sub in if he's at a field position.

It's still an odd move, especially since they've got a third catcher (Matt Treanor/Mr. Misty May) rostered, and they're playing under baby rules for the next game or two.

[Frayed Knot]

Of course the corollary to that is if someone else gets hurts at virtually any other spot on the field your most versatile glove is tied up in the DH spot and unavailable to sub in unless you want your pitchers batting for the rest of the game.

Look, maybe Washington has done this on a semi-regular basis - I don't see enough Texas games during the reg season to know - but it just struck me as odd when I saw the lineup several hours before the game and then that oddity re-entered my mind the second Napoli threw that ball away ... although Sir Albert did kind of make it all academic in the end.

[Edgy MD]

I'm of the position that it's a waste of mental energy (not to mention, potential offense) being afraid of rotating your DH into a position, if it comes to that. Pitchers tend to get pinch-hit for after the fifth inning anyway.

[Frayed Knot]

Not that you should be afraid to put your DH into use, only that it's hardly the ideal situation which makes it hardly the ideal spot to put your most versatile fielder. I also find it hard to imagine that Napoli - and now Moreland (see below) - are better 1Bmen than Young.



[u:2glyfk4b]GAME 4[/u:2glyfk4b]

Rangers: Young at DH again, only this time it's with Moreland at 1st & Napoli back behind the plate.
All else is how it was including the batting order which still features the cold Andrus & Hamilton up top and the hot Cruz & Napoli down in the 6th & 8th slots.
Lefty Derek Holland starts



Cards: Exact same as last night with Craig in RF and Berkman DH-ing.
Edwin Jackson on the mound - leading to what could be an even quicker LaRussa hook than normal.

[Edgy MD]

What? During the National Anthem?

[MFS62]

The NFL game is a quick rout (21-0).
The WS game might get some decent ratings.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

MFS62 wrote: The NFL game is a quick rout (21-0). The WS game might get some decent ratings.

I think that stuff is overblown.
For the most part, football fans are going to watch football, and baseball fans are going to watch baseball.

[Frayed Knot]

TLaR: "Oops"


Man, what did Napoli start eating this year?
2010 - .238/.316/.468
2011 - .320/.414/.631

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Buck, McCarver and the Fox cameras go meta-rogue for a second, panning to the "Fox stars" seats where the network had planted Zooey Deschanel and the Glee folk, in order to illustrate/point out that they'd all fled prime WS seats after six frames.

[Frayed Knot]

Holland stays in the game !!!! Like to see it.



If he/Texas hold on here we'll get our first 2-All tie in a series since 2003 - the Alex Gonzalez HR in the 12th inning off Jeff Weaver gave the Marlins win #2 that year.

[Frayed Knot]

Furcal gets on and here comes Feliz.

Albert can't be the tying run this inning ... although he could certainly do some damage and make either Berkman or Holliday in that spot.

[Frayed Knot]

"Sure, that [crossout]ARod[/crossout] Pujols guy will hit you 3 HRs is a blow-out game but when you really need one ..."

[Frayed Knot]

Holland - 5.5
Napoli - 4.5