CARDS vs. STROS

Adam writes...

Say there, Jim!

Here's the deal. It looks like the St. Louis Cardinals are playing the Houston Astros in the NLCS. How many times have these teams met in the post-season, and what have been the results in the past? In terms of competitive advantages, what do they got that we ain't got, and what do we got that they ain't got?


Actually, we have only faced the Astros once in the post season, however, in the past ten years, it has usually been a battle between Houston and St. Louis for the lead of the Central Division. St. Louis has taken five of those titles, Houston has three, one year we tied, and one year the Cubs snuck in there. Last year, while the rest of the country was fixated on the Sox - Yanks series, St. Louis and Houston were locked in an totally enthralling battle. The outcome was each team won all its home games. First two in St. Louis, next three in Houston and last two back in the 'Lou. In the end, both teams had garnered so much respect for each other that when the Cards won the last game, they all went over to the Houston dugout for a round of handshakes and admiration. The rivalry reminds me of the one that the Cards had with the Mets in the '80s. Both teams were always in contention for the division and always seemed to meet each other near the end of the season with the division on the line. The major difference was there was no respect for each other, either by the teams or the fans. "Mets are pond scum." was the cry of the 80's, and there was always trash talk between the two teams.

Last year, when we went into the NLCS, both teams had pitching problems. St. Louis's best pitcher, Chris Carpenter (from Manchester, N.H.), came up with a nerve problem that kept him out of the playoffs. Matt Morris was also injured and required surgery at the end of the season. Houston was missing Andy Pettitte. The series included many memorable plays. Carlos Beltran feasted on Cardinals pitching. He would have easily been MVP if things had gone the other way. Jim Edmonds hit a two run blast in the 12th inning of game number six to win 6-4, only to be followed by a spectacular catch to save two runs in the second inning, while down 2-0 of game seven, giving them the chance to come back and win 5-2. How competitive were those teams? After six games, each team had scored 29 runs. Each team had an ERA of 4.80. And each team was batting .264.

This year has had some changes. Andy Pettitte has returned to join Clemens and Ozwalt to give Houston one of the best 1-2-3 punches in baseball. Beltran and Kent are gone and Bagwell is in a limited role as he rehabs from shoulder surgery. St. Louis has acquired Mulder. Carpenter is coming off a year that gives him as good a chance to win the Cy Young as Clemens. Renteria, Womack and Matheney have been replaced with Eckstein, Grudzelanek, and Molina. Very little lost there and much gained. The biggest advantage that Houston has over St. Louis is Brad "Lights Out" Lidge. If their starters take us deep into the game, Lidge is the man to put it away. Our bullpen has been suspect all season and has been getting more so in September and October. Our starters can go toe to toe with theirs but our relief pitching will bring out the nail biters and Rolaid poppers. On the other hand if our relief pitchers have had a hard time keeping a lead, Houston's offense has struggled to score runs.

The Cardinals have something to prove to the world and themselves after the embarrassing showing on the national stage against the Red Sox, however, Houston has much to prove, barely losing to the Cards last year, plus the specter of never having made it to a World Series. This is one of those match-ups that has potential for some great baseball. The stuff that real baseball fans dream of. The only problem is will anyone else care to see the best team in baseball meet their best match? Or will the series get lost in the shuffle of the big TV market, coastal, apathy of the "fly over" states mentality that brought the Cardinals and Padres the horrendous playoff schedule during the Divisional Series games?