October 10, 200520 yr Here's my breakdown: C. Molina/ Ausmus/ EDGE: Astros 1B. Pujols/ Berkman/ EDGE: Cards 2B. Grudzielanek/ Biggio EDGE: Astros 3B. Nunez/ Ensberg EDGE: Astros SS. Eckstein/ Everett EDGE: Cards LF. Sanders/ Palmeiro EDGE: Cards CF. Edmonds/ Tavarez EDGE: Cards RF. Walker/ Lane EDGE: Cards SP. Carpenter/ Pettitte EDGE: Astros SP. Suppan/ Oswalt EDGE: Astros SP. Mulder/ Clemens EDGE: Astros SP. Morris/ Backe EDGE: Cardinals CL. Isringhausen/ Lidge EDGE: Astros Manager. La Russa/ Garner EDGE: Astros Prediction: Astros win this series on their home turf
October 10, 200520 yr Here's my breakdown: C. Molina/ Ausmus/ EDGE: Astros 1B. Pujols/ Berkman/ EDGE: Cards 2B. Grudzielanek/ Biggio EDGE: Astros 3B. Nunez/ Ensberg EDGE: Astros SS. Eckstein/ Everett EDGE: Cards LF. Sanders/ Palmeiro EDGE: Cards CF. Edmonds/ Tavarez EDGE: Cards RF. Walker/ Lane EDGE: Cards SP. Carpenter/ Pettitte EDGE: Astros SP. Suppan/ Oswalt EDGE: Astros SP. Mulder/ Clemens EDGE: Astros SP. Morris/ Backe EDGE: Cardinals CL. Isringhausen/ Lidge EDGE: Astros Manager. La Russa/ Garner EDGE: Astros Prediction: Astros win this series on their home turf Defensively, I'd say at SS the edge goes the the Astros, Everett is severly underrated. As for C, Molina is already a GG caibre C and offense has been good since April/early may, so the edge at C goes to the Cardinals.
October 10, 200520 yr Author Here's my breakdown: C. Molina/ Ausmus/ EDGE: Astros 1B. Pujols/ Berkman/ EDGE: Cards 2B. Grudzielanek/ Biggio EDGE: Astros 3B. Nunez/ Ensberg EDGE: Astros SS. Eckstein/ Everett EDGE: Cards LF. Sanders/ Palmeiro EDGE: Cards CF. Edmonds/ Tavarez EDGE: Cards RF. Walker/ Lane EDGE: Cards SP. Carpenter/ Pettitte EDGE: Astros SP. Suppan/ Oswalt EDGE: Astros SP. Mulder/ Clemens EDGE: Astros SP. Morris/ Backe EDGE: Cardinals CL. Isringhausen/ Lidge EDGE: Astros Manager. La Russa/ Garner EDGE: Astros Prediction: Astros win this series on their home turf Defensively, I'd say at SS the edge goes the the Astros, Everett is severly underrated. As for C, Molina is already a GG caibre C and offense has been good since April/early may, so the edge at C goes to the Cardinals. Everett is a better fielder, but Eckstein is still decent and a much better hitter...Also, Molina and Ausmus are similar...both great defensive catchers with weak bits, but IMO Ausmus is slightly better defensively and offensively
October 11, 200520 yr Here's my breakdown: C. Molina/ Ausmus/ EDGE: Astros 1B. Pujols/ Berkman/ EDGE: Cards 2B. Grudzielanek/ Biggio EDGE: Astros 3B. Nunez/ Ensberg EDGE: Astros SS. Eckstein/ Everett EDGE: Cards LF. Sanders/ Palmeiro EDGE: Cards CF. Edmonds/ Tavarez EDGE: Cards RF. Walker/ Lane EDGE: Cards SP. Carpenter/ Pettitte EDGE: Astros SP. Suppan/ Oswalt EDGE: Astros SP. Mulder/ Clemens EDGE: Astros SP. Morris/ Backe EDGE: Cardinals CL. Isringhausen/ Lidge EDGE: Astros Manager. La Russa/ Garner EDGE: Astros Prediction: Astros win this series on their home turf Defensively, I'd say at SS the edge goes the the Astros, Everett is severly underrated. As for C, Molina is already a GG caibre C and offense has been good since April/early may, so the edge at C goes to the Cardinals. Everett is a better fielder, but Eckstein is still decent and a much better hitter...Also, Molina and Ausmus are similar...both great defensive catchers with weak bits, but IMO Ausmus is slightly better defensively and offensively I like Ausmus, dont get me wrong. But there are only two catchers better behind the plate in the NL than Yadier Molina: Brian Schneider and Mike Matheney, and those 2 are certainly debatable. Yadier will be a GG catcher within the next 2 years, he has an arm like I havent seen in a very long time...an absolute rocket launcher attatched to his shoulder, he calls a very good game and handles the pitching staff like no other 21(or 22) year old can. The only knock he has is his ability to block balls in the dirt, but even that is not shabby. The kid is special.
October 11, 200520 yr I'm going with the Cards in 6. It all depends on whether the Astros offense shows up.
October 11, 200520 yr Cards in 6. That "dramatic" win the Astros had featured a whopping 10 hits in 18 innings, that kind of offensive "explosion" won't get it done against the Cards. Remember, Pujols is the best right handed hitter in baseball, and the Astros play in a ball park that really rewards right handed hitters...I don't see a home-field advantage.
October 11, 200520 yr Astros-Cardinals season series St. Louis goes 11-5 against Houston in 2005 By Stephen A. Norris / MLB.com Though the Cardinals have dominated the season series with the Astros, the games have been competitive. St. Louis swept Houston twice during the season and won 11 of 16 games. The most telling series was right after the All-Star break: The Astros were the hottest team in baseball at the time, but came to St. Louis and were swept in three games (Houston went 13-2 the rest of July). The Cardinals play such clean ball that it has been hard for Houston (or any team, for that matter) to beat them consistently. There is no doubt the Astros have talent, but their depth can be spread thin. If Houston gets quality starts from Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Roy Oswalt, they could make the series tough for the Cardinals. But in the end, the Cardinals just might be too deep. [More in URL]
October 11, 200520 yr Cards expect another classic NLCS Last year's series with Astros went distance By Stephen A. Norris / MLB.com ST. LOUIS -- David Eckstein wasn't in St. Louis last October and none of his Cardinals teammates have mentioned much to him about the classic battle in the National League Championship Series with the Houston Astros. No one had to. The highlights Eckstein watched said enough. "The way Jimmy [Edmonds] hit the home run in Game 6, and making the catch he made in Game 7 -- it just seemed like every one of those games was so intense," Eckstein said. "Home-field advantage was a real key, so you definitely have to be ready to play." Now, Eckstein is eager to dive into the rematch. He is one of several key players who either were not a Cardinal last fall or were not playing in the series because of injuries. While some of the names have changed on both sides, the rivalry is growing into a classic battle. "Everyone plays real hard [when the teams meet], no cheap shots, just real competitive baseball," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. [More in URL] Cards, Astros evenly matched Expect another tight NLCS between division rivals Jim Molony St. Louis and Houston, the two teams in Major League Baseball with the most postseason victories over the last two years, are going to fight it out one more time for the right to advance to the World Series. The Cardinals, with 10 postseason victories in the last two seasons, and the Astros, with nine, met in the National League Championship Series last year with St. Louis winning in seven games in one of the more memorable NLCS meetings. This year could be just as intense. "I'm ready for them, so is everybody else," Astros pitcher Brandon Backe said following Houston's 7-6 victory in 18 innings over Atlanta on Sunday night that clinched an NLCS berth. "This game is going to keep us going. With [Andy] Pettitte and Roy [Oswalt] starting it off, it's going to be great. I just can't wait to get it going." Last year, the home team won every game. The NL Central champion Cardinals will have the home-field advantage again this time over the Wild Card-winning Astros after finishing 11 games ahead of Houston in the division race. For the Cardinals, it was their fifth NL Central title in the last six years. "Both teams play the game the right way," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said when asked recently why the Astros and Cardinals play so many close games. "Both play hard and do the things winning teams do." Lidge said none of that matters this week. "I know they're going to be ready for us," Lidge said. "It's going to be a battle. I think we're the two best teams in the National League without a doubt, and it's going to be a lot of fun. [The series is] going to go back and forth I think." [More in URL]
October 11, 200520 yr I don't think I can predict a winner...what I will say is that any team that comes back from a 6-1 deficit with an out in the eight makes me crap my pants.
October 12, 200520 yr No fightin' words when Cardinals and Astros get together By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Writer ST. LOUIS (AP) -- They are members of the same division. They're perennial playoff teams. And they're meeting for the second year in a row with a trip to the World Series at stake. All right! Let's have some fightin' words between these obviously bitter rivals. ``They run a classy organization over there,'' said Lance Berkman of the Houston Astros. ``We have a lot of respect for them.'' Hmm, maybe we'll fare better at stirring things up in the opposing clubhouse. ``They're a good bunch of guys,'' said David Eckstein of the St. Louis Cardinals. ``It's hard to dislike them.'' [More in URL]
October 12, 200520 yr Cards-Astros: Respect stars in rivalry By Joe Strauss ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 10/11/2005 Because they see much of themselves in each other, the Cardinals and Houston Astros not only admit to a rivalry, they share a respect. That mutual admiration goes on stage tonight in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, with the respect outlasting any best-of-seven showdown. "I know we consider the Cardinals our rivals, and I'm sure they would say the same about us," Houston's Morgan Ensberg says. "It's not a rivalry of hatred. It's a rivalry of mutual respect." "They are a lot like our club," says Chris Carpenter, who threw six shutout innings at the Padres before leaving the first-round opener with cramps throughout his body. "They take quality at-bats. They are patient and they have an idea about what they are doing and the pitcher they are facing. They've got speed. They've got some guys who can hit the ball out of the park. They have got quality guys from top to bottom, and you've definitely got to be on your game and make quality pitches to get these guys out." The Cardinals were the only team to win 100 games this season. The Astros have a chance to reach the World Series after falling 15 games below .500 in the regular season. The Astros were four games better (73-42) than the Cardinals (69-46) after May 28. "It's definitely a more even series than a 100-win team against an 89-win team," Astros left fielder Lance Berkman said Tuesday. "A big part of their second half was spent just trying not to get hurt. They weren't playing for anything. They had such a big lead. I expect them to be different than the last time we saw them." [More in URL]
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