Game Threads

It's Game 7, Everybody

by RandBall's Stu on Oct 28, 2011 6:00 PM EDT in Game Threads

ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 28: Jason Motte #30 and Yadier Molina #4 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after defeating the Texas Rangers 6-2 to win the World Series in Game Seven of the MLB World Series at Busch Stadium on October 28, 2011 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Your starting pitchers are Cris Carpenter and Matt Harrison. It sounds like Mike Napoli will play. Nelson Cruz is 50-50. Matt Holliday is out. It's a Game 7. Further commentary is superfluous. Enjoy the game, everybody.

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Cardinals 10, Rangers 9: David Freese Walks Off One of the Best. Games. Ever.

by Jesse on Oct 28, 2011 1:00 AM EDT in Game Threads

ST LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 27: David Freese #23 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a walk off solo home run in the 11th inning to win Game Six of the MLB World Series against the Texas Rangers at Busch Stadium on October 27, 2011 in St Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals won 10-9. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

I simply cannot put into words how amazing this game was. A run by the Rangers in the first before the Cardinals answer with two in the bottom half, but the Rangers tied it in the top of the seventh and never trailed again.

Until David Freese hit one over the fence in dead center field. Game over. Bring on Game 7.

Errors early in the game. The Cardinals clawing their way back to within one. Blown scoring chances. Mike Napoli twisting his ankle sliding into second base, then throwing, from his knees, Matt Holliday out at third base. A pair of solo home runs from Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz during a three-run inning for Texas that looked to put the game on ice. Two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth before Freese triples into the corner to tie it up. Josh Hamilton's two-run homer in the tenth. Albert Pujols doubling in the tenth to kick off a rally, and then Lance Berkman's single with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the frame to tie it up again.

And Freese. Leading off the eleventh after his team had been left for dead no less than three times in the game, working a full count, and then taking Mark Lowe deep.

I'm exhausted. This game was just. So. Amazing.

Go crazy, folks. Go crazy. (Is what Joe Buck said instead of what he did say.)

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2011 World Series, Game 6: Rangers (3) at Cardinals (2)

by Jesse on Oct 27, 2011 7:14 PM EDT in Game Threads

First Pitch: 7:05pm CDT
TV: FOX
Radio: Sure, but you'll have to find it yourself.
SBN Affiliates: Viva el Birdos and Lone Star Ball

This could be it tonight. Personally I'm hoping for a game seven, simply because I like my World Series to be described in one word: epic. Seven games helps with that.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Jaime Garcia	13-7	32	32	2	2	0	0	194.2	207	100	77	15	50	156	3.56	1.32

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Colby Lewis	14-10	33	32	2	1	0	0	200.1	187	103	98	35	56	169	4.40	1.21

Rangers

Kinsler, 2B
Andrus, SS
Hamilton, LF
Young, 1B
Beltre, 3B
Cruz, RF
Napoli, C
Gentry, CF
Lewis, P

Cardinals

Furcal, SS
Schumaker, CF
Pujols, 1B
Berkman, RF
Holliday, LF
Freese, 3B
Molina, C
Punto, 2B
Garcia, P

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2011 World Series, Game 5: Cardinals at Rangers, Series Tied at 2

by Jon Marthaler on Oct 24, 2011 5:05 PM EDT in Game Threads

First Pitch: 7:05pm CDT
TV: FOX
Radio: Sure, but you'll have to find it yourself.
SBN Affiliates: Viva el Birdos and Lone Star Ball

Is it just me, or has this series been kind of epic? We're not talking '91 epic or anything, but still, fun to watch.

Tonight feels like a must-win for the Rangers. If they lose tonight they have to win twice in St. Louis, and I get the feeling that Cardinals fans would sooner gas Busch Stadium and burn it to the ground than let that happen. But then again, what do I know.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Chris Carpenter	11-9	34	34	4	2	0	0	237.1	243	98	91	16	55	191	3.45	1.26

Carpenter threw six innings and won Game 1 for the Cards, and in fact might have gone further but his spot came up during a rally in the bottom of the sixth. His Game 5 three-hit shutout to knock the Phillies out of the playoffs might still be, for me, the single-game performance of this post-season, with apologies to Albert Pujols in game 3 of the Series.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - C.J. Wilson	16-7	34	34	3	1	0	0	223.1	191	89	73	16	74	206	2.94	1.19

Carpenter has won a game in every series for the Cards; Wilson has lost one in every series for the Rangers, including Game 1 to Carpenter. He has a 7+ ERA in the post-season. He's made it through the sixth inning once in those four starts. He's not pitching too well at the moment - this after posting a 1.21 ERA in September for Texas. Curious.

Lineups: TBA.

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2011 World Series, Game 4: Cardinals (2-1) at Rangers (1-2)

by Jesse on Oct 23, 2011 7:07 PM EDT in Game Threads

First Pitch: 7:05pm CDT
TV: FOX
Radio: Yes
SBN Affiliates: Viva el Birdos and Lone Star Ball

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Derek Holland	16-5	32	32	4	4	0	0	198.0	201	97	87	22	67	162	3.95	1.35

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Edwin Jackson	5-2	13	12	0	0	0	0	78.0	91	37	31	8	23	51	3.58	1.46

Cardinals

Furcal, SS
Craig, RF
Pujols, 1B
Holliday, LF
Berkman, DH
Freese, 3B
Molina, C
Jay, CF
Punto, 2B

Rangers

Kinsler, 2B
Andrus, SS
Hamilton, CF
Young, DH
Beltre, 3B
Cruz, RF
Murphy, LF
Napoli, C
Moreland, 1B

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2011 World Series, Game 3: Cardinals (1-1) at Rangers (1-1)

by Jesse on Oct 22, 2011 5:39 PM EDT in Game Threads

First Pitch: 7:05pm CDT
TV: FOX
Radio: Yes
SBN Affiliates: Lone Star Ball, Viva el Birdos

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Matt Harrison	14-9	31	30	0	0	0	0	185.2	180	79	70	13	57	126	3.39	1.28

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Kyle Lohse	14-8	35	30	1	1	0	0	188.1	178	80	71	16	42	111	3.39	1.17

Lineups TBA

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2011 World Series, Game 2: Rangers (0-1) at Cardinals (1-0)

by Jesse on Oct 20, 2011 7:30 PM EDT in Game Threads

First Pitch: 7:05pm CDT
TV: FOX
Radio: Yes
SBN Affiliates: Lone Star Ball, Viva el Birdos

Part of me wants the Rangers to win the series, because they were there last year and it'd be tough to go two years in a row and not win it at least once. But part of me wouldn't mind seeing the Cardinals win either, especially if this does end up being Pujols' last season in St. Louis. It's always good to go out on a high. But I'm not picking one team or the other. I picked the Tigers and Brewers in the Championship Series. How did that turn out?

But I gotta root for the Rangers tonight, because all I want are good games and a good series. A series that starts out 2-0 gets dicey real quick like.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Jaime Garcia	13-7	32	32	2	2	0	0	194.2	207	100	77	15	50	156	3.56	1.32

The guys on the MLB Network are expecting a better game from Garcia this time, since it's cold out. LEGS! STUFF! SINK! FRESH!

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2011 - Colby Lewis	14-10	33	32	2	1	0	0	200.1	187	103	98	35	56	169	4.40	1.21

Colby cheese. Throw 'em the Colby cheese.

Lineups

Rangers

Kinsler, 2B
Andrus, SS
Hamilton, LF
Young, 1B
Beltre, 3B
Cruz, RF
Napoli, C
Gentry, CF
Lewis, P

Cards

Furcal, SS
Jay, CF
Pujols, 1B
Berkman, RF
Holliday, LF
Freese, 3B
Molina, C
Punto, 2B
Garcia, P

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World Series Game 1: Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals

by fischean on Oct 19, 2011 6:02 PM EDT in Game Threads

First Pitch: 7:05 pm CT
TV: Your local FOX affiliate
Radio: ESPN Radio
Where This Game Is Being Played: The lovely Busch Stadium, Home of the One and Only Rally Squirrel

Your pitchers for tonight are:

For Texas: