Nathan Grimm posted on September 28, 2011 00:00
161 games later, the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves are back at even.
After falling behind 5-0 by the end of the third inning, the Cardinals rallied back to put up five of their own in the top of the fourth and would add four more in the top of the seventh on their way to a 13-6 victory Tuesday night. That win, coupled with another listless Braves loss, left the teams with identical records (89-72) with one game to play.
It's been said endlessly, but it bears repeating - the Cardinals trailed the Braves by 8.5 games on September 5. With the Boston Red Sox pulling a Braves in the American League and letting the Tampa Bay Rays catch them with two games to play, this is the first time in recent memory (or my recent memory, at least) that both leagues had the 'huge collapse/incredible run' storyline going on simultaneously.
Arguably the turning point of Tuesday's game was the removal of starter Jake Westbrook. Westbrook had given up five runs and was on course to give up a few more when manager Tony La Russa removed him after only seven outs. His relief, the forgotten Mitchell Boggs, struck out Clint Barmes and induced a ground out from J.R. Towles, both with a runner at third base. The Cardinals answered in the top of the fourth on the strength of a bases-loaded double by Skip Schumaker, and the game was suddenly competitive again.
Cardinals relievers would only allow one more run on four hits the rest of the game, and the offense would provide more than enough support. And the winning pitcher was Eduardo Sanchez - who hadn't pitched since June 12. Good karma? It can't possibly be bad.
At this point, it feels as though there's no way Atlanta will win the Wild Card outright. The Braves are so down right now that it's hard to imagine they come out and play a strong, statement game Wednesday night. And even if they do, the Cardinals have a chance to negate it with a win of their own. And with a one-game playoff at Busch Thursday, the advantage would certainly be with the Birds.
The Cardinals now seem to hold the edge going into Wednesday night as well. The Braves get a bit of a reprieve having to face Joe Blanton instead of previously expected starter Cole Hamels, but Hamels is still expected to see some action at some point during the game. And although Braves starter Tim Hudson is the best healthy pitcher on Atlanta's squad, it's a team dealing with more mental than physical demons at this point. But their physical demons exist, too - Ryan Howard, Hunter Pence and Raul Ibanez have all hit Hudson well in their careers. It wouldn't be a surprise to see John Mayberry in the lineup as well.
But while the Braves have to feel good behind defunct ace Hudson, there is no other pitcher most Cardinals fans would want starting the biggest game of the season than Chris Carpenter. And, for what it's worth, Carpenter has had a relative amount of success at Minute Maid Park in his career.
None of that really matters, though. Maybe I'm expecting too much from the 36-year old. Maybe I should take my cue from his last postseason start - the closest thing to a do-or-die start he's been a part of in recent years - in which Carpenter allowed four runs in just five innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Maybe Carpenter will struggle, which he's done at certain points this season.
But the smart money isn't on any of that. The smart money is on Carpenter, the best competitor on a team that includes Albert Pujols, to come out and battle the Astros on every pitch. It will be a locked-in Carpenter. A Carpenter with the intensity Cardinals fans have grown accustomed to seeing. And a Carpenter with the pitching to match.
Brett Myers, starting for Houston, has been very good lately. Myers has rattled off five straight starts of at least six innings, allowing just one run in each. But the Cardinals boast a lineup that includes a relatively quiet (for being at Minute Maid) Pujols, Astros-killer Lance Berkman and Torty Craig's Master Allen. Most of the damage done by the Astros has been by a guy named Jimmy Paredes.
Don't bet against Carpenter. And don't bet against the Cardinals.
-NtG