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2011 WS Rangers vs. Cardinals: Impartial Prediction

Posted by on 19 October 2011, 2:35 am

The battle for the title of 2011 World Series Champion starts tonight, as the St. Louis Cardinals will duke it out with the Texas Rangers in a match-up that you won’t want to miss.

The only sure thing is the one team will be crowned the champs, while the other will join the long list of World Series meltdowns.

Before getting to my prediction, read my posts about the good, the bad and the ugly about both the RANGERS and the CARDINALS. (Click on team name to read previews.) Click HERE for TV schedule for all World Series games.

So, who do think has the upper hand in this battle royal?

MY 2011 WORLD SERIES PREDICTION:

On paper the Rangers have a slight edge over the Cardinals, but neither team has an overwhelming advantage over the other.

Both teams have gotten sub-par performances in the postseason thus far from their starting pitchers, so look for the team whose rotation steps it up to play a big part of the series.

Looking at the regular season numbers, the Rangers have better starting rotation, but not as much vs. the Cardinals. See, the strength of the Cardinals hitters is the long-ball and the Rangers starters have given up 16 of the team’s 20 home-runs this postseason, with six off Rangers ace CJ Wilson. Wilson only gave up 16 homers in the regular season, so they need a big start from him in Game 1.

The Cardinals fate hangs on the Game 1 performance of ace Chris Carpenter, who is now suffering from elbow soreness but says he is good to go, but what else is he going to say.

Since Game 1 is in St. Louis, it gives the Cardinals home field advantage to start this World Series. The Cardinals are slightly better defensively than Texas, and have a better bench.

While the Rangers have the edge in their starting rotation, as they feature three lefties, which could make it tougher for the Cardinals righty dominate bats to get going. This is pending on at least two of the three lefties kicking it up a notch. Continue reading ‘2011 WS Rangers vs. Cardinals: Impartial Prediction’ »

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2011 WS Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

Posted by on 18 October 2011, 8:33 am
Tony La Russa

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The 2011 World Series kicks off on Wednesday night, with the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Texas Rangers to start this best of seven series.

Which team has the advantage?

I have watched both teams throughout this postseason and they match up well. So instead of going stat crazy, below are my cut and dry observations of the St. Louis Cardinals.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS:

The Good:

There is no denying that something special is going on in St. Louis. Remember the Cardinals were not supposed to be here. Actually the Cardinals were not supposed to make the post season, beat the Phillies or the Brewers either but this team continually defies the odds. Regardless that the Cardinals have the best player on earth, Albert Pujols, it is a total team effort in St. Louis and this team is hot. And when a team continually believes in themselves when no one else does, that is a team that will be hard to beat.

Also, the over-managing by skipper Tony La Russa has worked on all cylinders this post season. The sometimes-irritating La Russa is now baseball’s Einstein. The mixing and matching of his bullpen, after not one St. Louis starter in the ALCS pitched five innings, was beyond impressive. Not to mention his unconventional genius of carrying eight relievers just to make sure St. Louis didn’t get blown out by the bats of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. La Russa has been this team’s MVP this post season.

The Bad:

Thus far, the Cardinals starting pitching has gotten away with doing the bare minimum this post season because the bullpen has saved their behinds, and quite well. Still, the bullpen cannot be the Cardinals crutch, which means the starters have to contribute at least five innings because the relievers could easily run out of steam. This could be the difference maker as the Rangers hard-hitting bats can easily knock out any starter. Also, the Cardinals had a regular season record of 65-42 when a starting pitcher threw six or more innings. Continue reading ‘2011 WS Preview: St. Louis Cardinals’ »

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2011 WS Preview: Texas Rangers

Posted by on 18 October 2011, 7:32 am
CJ Wilson of the Texas Rangers pitching

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The 2011 World Series kicks off on Wednesday night, with the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Texas Rangers to start this best of seven series.

Which team has the advantage?

I have watched both teams throughout this postseason and they match up well. So instead of going stat crazy, below are my cut and dry observations on the Texas Rangers.

TEXAS RANGERS:

The Good:

The Rangers bullpen is one of the best in baseball, thanks to the mid-season upgrades of Mike Adams, Koji Uehara and Mike Gonzalez to complement Scott Feldman, Darren Oliver, Alexi Ogando and Neftali Feliz. Also, moving Ogando out of a starting roll gives the Rangers depth as he can pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen if needed. The Rangers have the type of bullpen that turns games into a six-inning affair, which makes an opponent’s job all that much harder.

Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus have 67 steals combined on the season, so look for both to be running machines

The Bad:

Just like the Cardinals, the Rangers starters have to be better, specifically the three lefties CJ Wilson, Derek Holland, and Matt Harrison. Wilson and Harrison gave up just 16 and 13 homers respectively and can shutdown the homer-happy St. Louis bats if they can get back on track. Wilson is supposed to be the ace, so his 0-2 record and 8.04 ERA this post season is unacceptable. Wilson will face Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter in Busch Stadium in Game 1 and the Rangers need a big performance from him. The Cardinals righty dominate line-up is a .500 team against lefty arms, so it could be a big advantage if they can step up and thus far that has not been the case. Continue reading ‘2011 WS Preview: Texas Rangers’ »

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2011 World Series: Rangers vs. Cardinals Game Schedule

Posted by on 17 October 2011, 12:39 am

 

2011 World Series Schedule
Series Date Match-Up Network Air Time (ET)
Game One Wednesday, October 19 Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals FOX TBA
Game Two Thursday, October 20 Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals FOX TBA
Game Three Saturday, October 22 St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers FOX TBA
Game Four Sunday, October 23 St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers FOX TBA
Game Five* Monday, October 24 St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers FOX TBA
Game Six* Wednesday, October 26 Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals FOX TBA
Game Seven* Thursday, October 27 Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals FOX TBA
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New York Yankees Hot Stove: Rangers Rumored To Want CC Drop CJ

Posted by on 16 October 2011, 11:36 pm
CC Sabathia (left) and Mark Teixeira

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Rumors have swirled over the last week that the Texas Rangers are planning to give Yankees CC Sabathia an offer he can’t refuse if New York’s ace opts-out of his contract, five days after the World Series.

With the likelihood that Rangers pitcher CJ Wilson will hit the 2012 free agent market does leave a hole in an already questionable starting rotation. According to ESPN’s Mike Wallace a Rangers insider told him that Texas is ready to throw the Yankees ace a “boatload of money” to come to Arlington in 2012.

Wilson is not an ace like Sabathia, not in the same class. That doesn’t mean that Wilson is not a good pitcher.

Let’s say, God forbid, the Yankees happened to screw things up with Sabathia, obtaining Wilson is not going to put Yankee Universe back on its axis or even close. Rangers Owner and Hall Of Famer, Nolan Ryan will be all over CC, as he is very similar pitcher to Ryan and surely that is attractive.

The Yankees stealing Wilson from the Rangers is more probable, but he was converted from a reliever just two seasons ago so his numbers are limited.

Wilson’s minimal stats vs. AL East are good, except against he Toronto Blue Jays who in 28 at-bats have a .286 average against him, but that doesn’t mean much. Wilson has faced the Tampa Bay Rays hitters the most; with 119 at-bats in total and held them to .176 average, which is so far, so good.

This past season, Wilson posted a 16-7 record, with a .294 ERA, striking out 206 batters and threw just shy of 224 innings in total.

Just to clarify, whether Wilson stays in Texas are not has nothing to do with Sabathia and the Yankees. Sabathia is a perennial winner, and has proven himself season after season.

So, it was very comforting when according to ESPN’s Buster Onley, Sabathia’s agent Brian Peters had this to say about the opting out situation: Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Hot Stove: Rangers Rumored To Want CC Drop CJ’ »

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New York Yankees Are Out So Who To Root For In Postseason

Posted by on 11 October 2011, 4:06 am

Everyone is well aware that the 2011 New York Yankees season is over; to be precise it concluded last Thursday in a heart wrenching ALDS Game 5 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

The 3-2 loss was about the worst thing I have ever saw at Yankee Stadium. It felt like a little of New York City’s heart broke that night and to say the fans didn’t do their job would be a crime, as the Stadium was as electric and more filled than the 2009 World Series…no joke.

Well, onward and upward as the postseason keeps moving forward with the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers.

Not sure how many New York, or East Coast viewers will be tuning into watch both Championship Series, but as a baseball fan you can bet that I plan to watch until the last out of the World Series.

My problem is that I have no answer for this one question that I have been asked about 20 times over the last three days by everyone from my Mom to the guy at Starbucks.

“Who do you want to win the 2011 World Series? You know since the Yankees lost.”

It is a legitimate question, but please note this does not entail me cheering for another team at all. Only which team would I not throw my remote at the TV with if they were to win.

For me no matter the sport, if my team is not in the championship there is usually one team that I wouldn’t mind winning a title. This has never been the easiest choice in the past, so why is it almost impossible this time?

Maybe because out of the four remaining postseason teams, somehow, individually have an aspect that bothers the hell out of me; and in turn, I just can’t commit.

MilwaukeeBrewers:

If you don’t know who T-Plush is by now, please accept my apology in advance.

T-Plush is short for Tony Plush, which is the self-appointed “name on the field” or his “gentleman’s name” of the outspoken, outfielder Nyjer Morgan.

Morgan annoys the hell out of me because his antics are so ridiculous that it takes away from his talent. Morgan has been known to start trouble for no reason with opposing teams, flicks off fans, and looks for trouble too much.

I get the love/hate thing Brewers fans have with T-Plush because he does come through in the clutch, followed by shouting some f-bombs in his post game interviews that I guess are amusing. Still, the day Tony Plush ran his mouth at Cardinals Albert Pujols was arrogance gone overboard. Funny thing is now look who his Brewers NLCS opponents are…guess Nyjer needs a tall glass of Shut-the Plush-Up.

Texas Rangers:

I have stuck to the theory that the Rangers are so overrated and get thrown bones left and right from ESPN, MLB Network etc. Excuses, and more excuses for a team that plays in the AL West. The Rangers will come back down to earth once the Angels get Kendry Morales back in 2012, and considering 37 of their 2011 wins were against the Mariners, A’s and Indians speaks volumes. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Are Out So Who To Root For In Postseason’ »

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Yankees Mo Makes History But His Eyes Are On October

Posted by on 14 September 2011, 4:15 am
Mariano Rivera celebrates a victory against th...

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Congratulations to closer Mariano Rivera, for achieving a baseball milestone clocking his 600th career save, and leading the New York Yankees to a 3-2 win against the Mariners on Tuesday night.

The perpetually humble Rivera hugged his teammates before telling YES’s Kim Jones that the team won is what was important. Mo also went on to say:

First of all, I have to thank God, my wife and my kids. God gave (the cutter) to me. Thank God he gave it to me. (600) is a great number, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t look for those things.

Here are a few of Mo’s greatest career accomplishments:

-       600 Career Saves (only behind closer Trevor Hoffman who has 601).

-       42 Postseason Saves (most-ever).

-       12-time AL All-Star.

-       5-time Rolaids Relief Award Winner.

-       1999 World Series MVP.

-       2003 ALCS MVP.

-       5-time World Series Champion in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009.

All I can say, as a sports fan there are not many athletes that have, or ever will have such natural talent like Mariano Rivera.

All I can say, as a person is that there are not many human beings built like Mariano Rivera.

Mo is as unpretentious, as he is competitive. This man is a winner, a father, a husband and just an overall good person who never takes his accomplishments for granted. He is the greatest teammate. Continue reading ‘Yankees Mo Makes History But His Eyes Are On October’ »

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