carpenter maine
0-0, 9.00 0-0, 6.75
So, tonight is the first chance for the Cardinals to punch their ticket to Detroit. All the negativity, all the stupid nonsense, all of the Jason Marquis starts are completely irrelevant now. This team has been playing a consistent, aggressive hard nine innings of baseball, and I am proud of them. On paper, they have been outmatched in the two rounds so far, and should they make the series, they will be outmatched against the Tigers. But, at no point have these rookies backed down. Even in the blowout game four loss, you had the Edmonds homer, and an impression that the team was trying to claw its way back to a win. Aside from perhaps the Suppan game three start, none of this has come easily, and here they are coming out ahead.
Lineups are up:
STL | NY |
---|---|
Eck, SS | Reyes, SS |
Spezio, LF | Lo Duca, C |
Pujols, 1B | Beltran, CF |
Edmonds, CF | Delgado, 1b |
Enc, RF | Wright, 3B |
Rolen, 3B | Green, RF |
Belly, 2B | Valentin, 2B |
Molina, C | Chavez, LF |
Carp. P | Maine, P |
I like seeing Edmonds in the cleanup spot, and I like seeing Rolen behind Carpenter. Despite what people have been saying about him in the comment threads Rolen has been having good ABs the last couple of games. He has hit balls hard straight at infielders and barely foul. Scott is going to have his chance to shine offensively, and until then, enjoy the defensive plays that he has made to save several runs this postseason already. I really, really don't understand people complaining about his committment to win, stupid media chatter or no.
If the Cards finish off the Mets tonight, then Jeff Suppan gets to start Game One of the Series. After his Game Three performance in the championship series and down the stretch, I would think it very fitting for him to get the game ball in such a huge game.
Update [2006-10-18 18:53:38 by Valatan]:: I am actually not going to be around tonight, as I have to take care of a bunch of work related stuff that will require me to be away from the keyboard. I will be back sometime around midnight to put up a postgame thread.
Go Cards.
Go Carp.
Update [2006-10-18 19:43:35 by lboros]: no worries, V -- i'll be around and can put up the overflows.