The Cardinals are the hottest team (maybe other than the Rays) that came into the playoffs. They very nearly won this game as closer Jason Motte just couldn't shut the door. My prediction at this point? I like the Rangers going home for three games and possibly winning the series. Texas has an incredibly talented offensive club and I just don't see 3rd and 4th game potential starters Edwin Jackson , Kyle Lohse or Jake Westbrook getting it done. If I'm in Tony LaRussa's position (yay! I'm not) I would certainly be looking at getting Carpenter out there in Game 4 rather than risk Lohse. This means Garcia starts Game 5, Jackson again in game 6 and Game 7 back to Carpenter.
Looking at the Cardinal's roster does it not seem like a bit slapped together? The first thing that stands out is who thought Kyle Lohse was worth 12,000,000 a year? Wow. Secondly, their organizational philosophy must have been to acquire as many utility eligible players as possible. Craig Allen, Nick Punto, Skip Schumaker and Ryan Theriot have all played some role in getting St. Louis to the World Series. Still, how can this mixed bag of players really compare to the bats of the Rangers?
I guess I would think differently if the Cardinals win the next game but Texas on paper appears to be the better ball club. Stranger things have happened though...
No comments:
Post a Comment