October 12, 200421 yr This is a little premature as the Houston game is still going on but whatever.. Houston will hold on.. I hope! National League Championship Series Houston Astros (3-2) vs. St Louis Cardinals (3-1) Schedule Game 1 Houston at St. Louis Wed. Oct. 13 7:00 p.m. FOX Game 2 Houston at St. Louis Thu. Oct. 14 7:00 p.m. FOX Game 3 St. Louis at Houston Sat. Oct. 16 3:00 p.m. FOX Game 4 St. Louis at Houston Sun. Oct. 17 6:30 p.m. FOX Game 5* St. Louis at Houston Mon. Oct. 18 7:00 p.m. FOX Game 6* Houston at St. Louis Wed. Oct. 20 3:00 p.m. FOX Game 7* Houston at St. Louis Thu. Oct. 21 7:00 p.m. FOX Probable Lineups: Houston Astros Craig Biggio, LF Postseason: .400 AVG, 1 HR, 4 RBI Carlos Beltran, CF Postseason: .455 AVG, 4 HR, 9 RBI Jeff Bagwell, 1b Postseason: .318 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI Lance Berkman, RF Postseason: .409 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI Jeff Kent, 2b Postseason: .227 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI Morgan Ensberg, 3b Postseason: .368 AVG, 0 HR, 5 RBI Jose Vizcaino, SS Postseason: .105 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI Brad Ausmus, C Postseason: .333 AVG, 1 HR, 1 RBI Bench: OF, Jason Lane (.600 avg, 1 HR, 2 RBI) OF, Orlando Palmeiro (.250 avg, 0 HR, 0 RBI) SS, Adam Everett (.000 avg, 0 HR, 0 RBI) SS, Eric Bruntlett (.000 avg, 0 HR, 0 RBI) 3b, Mike Lamb (.000 avg, 0 HR, 0 RBI) C, Raul Chavez (.600 avg, 1 HR, 1 RBI) St. Louis Cardinals Tony Womack, 2b http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_124523.jpg Postseason: .158 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI Admin Walker, RF http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_123833.jpg Postseason: .333 AVG, 2 HR, 3 RBI Albert Pujols, 1b http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_405395.jpg Postseason: .333 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI Scott Rolen, 3b http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_121409.jpg Postseason: .000 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI Jim Edmonds, CF http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_113744.jpg Postseason: .267 AVG, 1 HR, 2 RBI Edgar Renteria, SS http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_121074.jpg Postseason: .455 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI Reggie Sanders, LF http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_121673.jpg Postseason: .286 AVG, 1 HR, 1 RBI Mike Matheny, C http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_118414.jpg Postseason: .286 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI Bench: OF, Roger Cedeno (.500 avg, 0 HR, 0 RBI) OF, So Taguchi (.000 avg, 0 HR, 0 RBI) INF/OF, John Mabry (.000 avg, 0 HR, 0 RBI) INF/OF, Marlon Anderson (.000 avg, 0 HR, 0 RBI) INF, Hector Luna (.000 avg, 0 HR, 0 RBI) C, Yadier Molina (.000 avg, 0 HR, 0 RBI) Pitching Matchups to come when available
October 12, 200421 yr If Astros' bullpen plays like they did against the Braves. Cards will tear them up.
October 12, 200421 yr The only good thing about this series.....is that one of the teams has to LOSE. One order of Schadenfreude, coming up!
October 12, 200421 yr Astros got Clemens, Oswalt, Backe, and there closer, the cards will tear everyone else up on the astros pitching staff Cards in 6.....I have a feeling this series will be settled by the power of the bats..not by pitching staffs
October 12, 200421 yr Cards in 6, although if they take it in 5 I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. The Astros maybe the first team to ever lose momentum while winning a playoff series, and the Cardinals are simply going to destroy their bullpen.
October 12, 200421 yr offense vs offense i like it cards are just a tad bit more deep pitching wise but stros have the rocket cards in 7
October 12, 200421 yr Has there been an all wild card world series yet? 589625[/snapback] 2002 San Francisco vs. Anaheim
October 12, 200421 yr Astros in 7. The Astros are the inspired team and playing their best ball at the moment. They have a sick sick offensive line up (on par with the Cards), which is being underestimated here. I predict high scoring games and Astros winning game 7 in Bush Stadium
October 12, 200421 yr Author Stakes huge in clash of Central foes Division rivals meet with World Series bid in the balance By John Schlegel / MLB.com Pete Munro will likely get the start in Game 1 against the Cardinals on Wednesday. (Frank Franklin II/AP) ST. LOUIS -- Two teams preparing to scrap for a trip to the World Series have had quite the intradivisional rivalry with each other this year. They're about to start a new chapter of that battle on a whole new level. One team owns one of the most dangerous lineups, top to bottom, in recent memory as well as an outstanding postseason tradition. The other boasts little past postseason success, but a strong lineup of savvy hitters to go with a pair of outstanding right-handers leading the rotation. No, no. Not that series. There is more to life than Yankees-Red Sox. Sure, that "other" battle over in the American League fills that same bill, but all that is also true about the National League Championship Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros, which will begin with Game 1 on Wednesday at Busch Stadium. Hey, this might not be Yanks-Sox -- what is? -- but this isn't exactly the JV series here. No apologies necessary. There is plenty going for this battle between NL Central rivals. The Cardinals, the team that won the most games in the regular season with 105, cruised to the NL Central Division title. The Astros, picked by many to win the division, came up with the strongest finish in all of baseball with a remarkable run to the NL Wild Card. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is making his ninth appearance in the League Championship Series and has managed almost 4,000 Major League games. He definitely puts these games on the pedestal they deserve. "I think the importance of these games stands alone because it's the postseason, you're playing to win the big prize. ... Here, you let it all hang out," La Russa said. When these two go at it, there's bound to be some excitement. With La Russa and Astros interim manager Phil Garner leading the way with their different brands of intensity, these are two teams that have similar elements -- veteran savvy, explosive potential, superstar talent -- and have a keen familiarity with each other as division rivals. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the Astros are the only team to have really gotten the better of the Cardinals this year. Houston won 10 of the 18 meetings between the two teams, including sweeps in their first meeting in April and their final meeting in September -- the only team to sweep the Cardinals twice the year. Throw in star quality like the Cardinals' Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen against the Astros' Killer B's and future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens, and you've got the makings for an October matchup rich in potential for a classic. When the Astros took their best-of-five National League Division Series against Atlanta with a rousing 12-3 victory on Monday night, they pushed aside a history of frustration with baseball's first round of playoffs. The Astros reached the Division Series five times in the first nine postseasons since the best-of-five round was instituted in 1995, only to be eliminated every time. With their defeat of the Braves, the Astros return to the NLCS for just the second time overall and the first time since a club led by right-handers Nolan Ryan and Mike Scott lost out to the Mets in six games in 1986. Prior to Monday's victory over the Braves, Houston had never won a postseason series. This time, it's Clemens and Roy Oswalt in the roles of the right-handers who could lead the Astros to bigger things. Both Cy Young Award candidates, Clemens and Oswalt give Houston a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation that the Cardinals simply can't match on paper. The Astros also bring the Killer B's -- Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman and new addition Carlos Beltran. The first three exorcised some major October demons this week and Beltran, a budding superstar acquired in June, had a monster series against Atlanta with four homers, nine runs scored and nine RBIs. The Cardinals' rabid, red-clad fans entered October believing this year presented the best opportunity to return to the World Series since the 1980s, when the club advanced three times, winning in '82 but falling short in '85 and '87. The main reason for that confidence is the powerful St. Louis lineup, led by Pujols, Rolen and fellow NL MVP candidate Jim Edmonds. And even though they had a great supporting cast in that lineup with shortstop Edgar Renteria and left fielder Reggie Sanders, the Cardinals made a monumental pickup in August by trading for Admin Walker -- who, much like Alex Rodriguez with the Yankees, provides a whole new element of power from the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Then there's the Cardinals' pitching staff, which has been pointed to and fretted over as a potential Achilles' heel. Yet the Cardinals, with a rotation considered by many to be full of No. 2 and No. 3 starters, managed to do just fine, thanks, in the regular season with its 3.75 ERA ranking second in the league. With a 3.09 ERA in the four-game NLDS victory over the Dodgers and step-up starting performances from Game 1 starter Woody Williams and Game 4 starter Jeff Suppan, the St. Louis pitching was neither weakness nor detriment. When the two teams square off on Wednesday, their 19th meeting of the year will be by far the most important as two division rivals will engage in a postseason matchup that figures to write some interesting NLCS history. Meanwhile, maybe some folks will pay attention to that "other" series as well.
October 13, 200421 yr Author Pitching Matchups Game 1: | Woody Williams: 1-0 3.00 ERA, 1 BB, 2 K Brandon Backe: 1-0 3.00 ERA, 2 BB, 5 K Game 2: | Matt Morris: 0-1 5.14 ERA, 2 BB, 5 K Pete Munro: -- 0.00 ERA Game 3: | Jeff Suppan: 1-0 2.57 ERA, 3 BB, 2 K Roger Clemens: 1-0 3.00 ERA, 8 BB, 12 K Game 4: | Jason Marquis: 0-0 8.10 ERA, 4 BB, 0 K Roy Oswalt: 1-0 2.38 ERA, 4 BB, 8 K Game 5: | Woody Williams: 1-0 3.00 ERA, 1 BB, 2 K Brandon Backe: 1-0 3.00 ERA, 2 BB, 5 K Game 6: http://espn.go.com/i/mlb/profiles/players/5784.jpg | http://espn.go.com/i/mlb/profiles/players/3340.jpg Matt Morris: 0-1 5.14 ERA, 2 BB, 5 K Roger Clemens: 1-0 3.00 ERA, 8 BB, 12 K Game 7: http://espn.go.com/i/mlb/profiles/players/5454.jpg | http://espn.go.com/i/mlb/profiles/players/6646.jpg Jeff Suppan: 1-0 2.57 ERA, 3 BB, 2 K Roy Oswalt: 1-0 2.38 ERA, 4 BB, 8 K
October 13, 200421 yr Author Cardinals vs. Backe: Opposing hitter AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Marlon Anderson 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 .000 .000 Albert Pujols 5 2 0 0 2 2 1 1 .400 .500 1.600 2.100 Reggie Sanders 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .250 .400 .250 .650 Jim Edmonds 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .250 .400 .250 .650 Tony Womack 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .750 .750 .750 1.500 Roger Cedeno 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 .250 .250 .500 Yadier Molina 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250 .250 .250 .500 John Mabry 3 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 .667 .667 1.667 2.333 Edgar Renteria 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Scott Rolen 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Jason Marquis 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500 .500 .500 1.000 Hector Luna 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Danny Haren 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 Admin Walker 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000 Mike Matheny 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 So Taguchi 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Totals 47 13 0 0 4 5 4 9 .277 .333 .532 .865 Astros vs. Williams Opposing hitter AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Craig Biggio 48 14 5 0 0 5 7 4 .292 .375 .396 .771 Jeff Bagwell 46 16 4 0 5 8 4 7 .348 .400 .761 1.161 Jeff Kent 35 13 5 1 2 7 6 5 .371 .488 .743 1.231 Lance Berkman 35 8 2 0 1 2 6 12 .229 .341 .371 .713 Brad Ausmus 32 7 1 0 1 4 2 3 .219 .265 .344 .608 Jose Vizcaino 16 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 .250 .250 .250 .500 Morgan Ensberg 15 4 1 0 1 3 0 3 .267 .313 .533 .846 Adam Everett 14 6 2 0 0 1 0 1 .429 .429 .571 1.000 Carlos Beltran 11 1 0 1 0 2 0 5 .091 .091 .273 .364 Wade Miller 9 2 1 0 0 3 0 3 .222 .222 .333 .556 Orlando Palmeiro 6 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500 .667 1.167 Mike Lamb 5 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 .400 .500 .600 1.100 Roy Oswalt 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500 .500 .500 1.000 Pete Munro 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333 .333 .333 .667 Raul Chavez 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000 Totals 281 84 23 2 10 38 26 46 .299 .363 .502 .865
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