Red Sox pitching the key factor last two games
A lot of baseball writers have been wondering why the Cardinals have suddenly lost the ability to hit. They trot out statistics about the big three- Edmonds, Pujols and Rolen. They point out the Cards have made baserunning mistakes. They talk about the Cardinals not playing like the team that won 105 games.
But really, is is THAT shocking the Cardinals find themselves down in this series?
Looking at the first game, the Red Sox and Cardinals played a classic slugfest where your best pitchers aren't available due the previous series going 7 games. So the Red Sox prevail 11-9. The 9 runs the Cardinals put up win an awful lot of playoff games.
The Cards then face two of the best pitchers in baseball- Schilling and Pedro. Is it really surprising that the Cards have struggled to score runs against these guys? We knew the Red Sox bullpen was playing other-wordly in the NY series.
Instead of wondering why the Cardinals have forgotten how to hit, the writers should be focusing on which team is better built for the post season.
The Red Sox signed Curt Schilling in the off season for ONE reason. To give them the second front-line pitcher they needed to help them win the World Series. Theo and crew knew that having Schilling and Martinez each pitch twice in a 7 game series was a huge advantage they'd never had before.
Conversely, the Cardinals went into this season knowing their starting pitching lacked a true #1 starter. During the season, Tony and staff understood they had pitching issues, but were winning games by outslugging opponents. So what did the Cardinals do?
They picked up Larry Walker!!
Sure, it's nice to have extra offense, but the Cards weren't having problems scoring runs. Instead of bolstering the pitching staff, they went for offense. (Note- See George Steinbrenner '04 playbook.)
Good pitching beats good hitting every time. The Red Sox have two number one starters, a solid bullpen and can hit the ball as well as anyone.
So don't write about a pitchers baserunning costing the Cardinals a game. Write about how well this Boston team is put together.
If it wasn't for Grady Little making one of the most boneheaded pitching moves in recent memory last year, there is a chance the Red Sox could be going for their second WS ring in a row.
Don't blame the Cards. Congratulate the Red Sox.
But we still have one more game to play...
A lot of baseball writers have been wondering why the Cardinals have suddenly lost the ability to hit. They trot out statistics about the big three- Edmonds, Pujols and Rolen. They point out the Cards have made baserunning mistakes. They talk about the Cardinals not playing like the team that won 105 games.
But really, is is THAT shocking the Cardinals find themselves down in this series?
Looking at the first game, the Red Sox and Cardinals played a classic slugfest where your best pitchers aren't available due the previous series going 7 games. So the Red Sox prevail 11-9. The 9 runs the Cardinals put up win an awful lot of playoff games.
The Cards then face two of the best pitchers in baseball- Schilling and Pedro. Is it really surprising that the Cards have struggled to score runs against these guys? We knew the Red Sox bullpen was playing other-wordly in the NY series.
Instead of wondering why the Cardinals have forgotten how to hit, the writers should be focusing on which team is better built for the post season.
The Red Sox signed Curt Schilling in the off season for ONE reason. To give them the second front-line pitcher they needed to help them win the World Series. Theo and crew knew that having Schilling and Martinez each pitch twice in a 7 game series was a huge advantage they'd never had before.
Conversely, the Cardinals went into this season knowing their starting pitching lacked a true #1 starter. During the season, Tony and staff understood they had pitching issues, but were winning games by outslugging opponents. So what did the Cardinals do?
They picked up Larry Walker!!
Sure, it's nice to have extra offense, but the Cards weren't having problems scoring runs. Instead of bolstering the pitching staff, they went for offense. (Note- See George Steinbrenner '04 playbook.)
Good pitching beats good hitting every time. The Red Sox have two number one starters, a solid bullpen and can hit the ball as well as anyone.
So don't write about a pitchers baserunning costing the Cardinals a game. Write about how well this Boston team is put together.
If it wasn't for Grady Little making one of the most boneheaded pitching moves in recent memory last year, there is a chance the Red Sox could be going for their second WS ring in a row.
Don't blame the Cards. Congratulate the Red Sox.
But we still have one more game to play...
posted by Tom at
2:44 PM
