UPDATE (26Oct11): Game 6 of the World Series has been postponed due to rain, and is now scheduled to be played Thursday (8:05 p.m. ET). Neither manager has indicated any change to their starting pitchers, with the Rangers still expected to send Colby Lewis to the mound against St. Louis left-hander Jaime Garcia.
The Series tied two games apiece and Game 5 knotted with the same 2-2 score in the eighth inning, the Texas Rangers needed a big hit.
David Murphy's infield grounder, just evading the glove of St. Louis Cardinals reliever Marc Rzepczynski's glove, doesn't really fit the conventional definition of a 'big hit.' Indeed, Mike Napoli's ensuing double brought home the deciding runs. But Murphy's worm burner back through the mound proved big enough for the Rangers who now hold a 3-2 lead in the 2011 World Series following Monday's 4-2 victory over the Cardinals.
Texas can wrap up its first MLB title when the Fall Classic shifts back to St. Louis for Game 6 on Wednesday (8:05 p.m. ET). That is assuming Mother Nature cooperates, more on that later.
The mound duel for the sixth game will be a rematch of Game 2 starters, Colby Lewis of the Rangers and Cardinals lefty Jaime Garcia. St. Louis is the slight favorite with the Redbirds on a consensus -115 line. Wednesday's total is 7½, the 'under' costing a few pennies extra at -115.
The Series has all but defied the odds with four of the five games staying 'under' the totals. After both Texas and St. Louis came out of their LCS matchups seemingly clubbing everything thrown at them, this World Series was not supposed to be a stage for pitchers to shine.
But that has been the case, and it was especially true when Lewis and Garcia met in Game 2. Garcia hurled seven scoreless frames, striking out seven would-be Texas hitters and surrendering just three safeties, all of them singles. Lewis just about matched Garcia's effort, falling an out shy of seven innings and giving up just a run on four hits.
St. Louis nursed the 1-0 lead into the top of the ninth before the Rangers finally got off the schneid. It took a couple of singles, a risky stolen base by Ian Kinsler, a rare fielding miscue by Albert Pujols and two sac flies, but Texas pulled off the 2-1 victory.
The two lineups have seen Lewis and Garcia now, and it will be intriguing to see how any of the hitters adjust. Making it all the more interesting is Lewis will be the first right-handed starter the Cardinals have seen since Game 2, and Garcia the first southpaw starter the Rangers have faced since the same game.
There are enough hitters in both lineups to quickly turn Game 6 into a plate crossing festival, but the two that might hold the key on Wednesday are Michael Young and Lance Berkman. Young's double started Texas' 8th-inning rally in Game 5, and he went 1-for-3 against Garcia in Game 2, the first and only time he has faced the young Cardinals pitcher.
Lewis has owned Berkman in the past, albeit a very small sample. Still, 0-for-10 with six strikeouts is enough history for my money, especially since all but one at bat in that mix is from the past two seasons. That includes 0-for-3 with two K's in Game 2.
It's obvious that Rangers manager Ron Washington is no longer going to let his hurlers pitch to Pujols. It's also obvious that St. Louis manager Tony La Russa needs to tell his runners to quit trying to steal second with Phat Albert at the plate. That puts a little extra burden on Berkman, as well as Matt Holliday, to break through hitting behind Pujols in the lineup.
Gary Cederstrom is finally going to get to work the plate in a World Series game after being on the job for 23 seasons. He was in line to work Game 5 of the 2005 Fall Classic, but the White Sox finished their broom job vs. the Astros the night before. Cederstrom was 20-12-2 to the 'under' this past regular season, finishing on a 3-0 run below the totals.
His 'under' streak was stretched to 4-0 when he worked Game 5 of the NLDS earlier this month in Philadelphia, a 1-0 win for Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals against Roy Halladay and the Phils.
Rain? During the MLB playoffs? Surely you jest. No, it's not a joke, and pardon me for calling you Shirley. There's an 80 percent chance of rain during the day in St. Louis on Wednesday, and the likelihood only decreases to 70 percent when the evening arrives. Game time temps will be in the mid-to-low 50s with a 12-15 mph wind from the NNW ( in from left).
Should Game 6 be postponed, Thursday and Friday look fairly dry in the St. Louis area, though the thermometer will dip into the 40s during both evenings. A Wednesday postponement would also open both managers to bringing back their Games 1 and 5 starters on short rest in a potential Game 7 on Friday.
For the moment, Game 7 is set for Thursday night with Washington already confirming he would send Matt Harrison to the hill. La Russa and the Cardinals remain undecided, and you've got to think that everyone but Garcia is a candidate.