Offence to decide outcome of World Series – MLB Update
St. Louis Cardinals’ Chris Carpenter and Texas Rangers’ C.J. Wilson might be regarded among the best starters on the circuit, but both will have plenty of questions to answer when they go head-to-head in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday, October 19
at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.
Both teams are strong in defence, with immense depth in their respective bull-pens. However, their offensive abilities cannot be undermined and Game 6 of the Championship Series explains why. The Rangers annihilated the Detroit Tigers 15-5 to make their
way to the Fall Classic before the Cardinals overwhelmed the Milwaukee Brewers 12-6 to win the National League pennant for the first time since 2006.
Their oppositions did not have an easy time against them and it will now be vital to see how the line-ups perform when two of the most versatile bull-pens take on each other in the seven-game classic.
A lot will depend on the starters for the outcome of the game. Wilson has not been his usual best for the Rangers in the postseason and Carpenter has led his team from the front. Carpenter finished the regular season 11-9 as compared to Wilson’s 16-7, but
has a superior record in postseason games. While Wilson has won just one career game in the playoffs as opposed to his four losses, Carpenter has prevailed in seven and has faced disappointment in just two.
Comparing the pitching strength of both teams, Rangers’ manager Ron Washington said, "If everything falls into place and their starters do what they want them to do, and our starters do what we want them to do, I think we can match up in the bullpen with
anyone, just as the Cardinals can match up in the bullpen with anyone, and then we'll see where it goes from there."
Washington added that while people are expecting the ball flying out of the park, he expects the game to be exciting with hits all over the place.
Cardinals’ manager Tony La Russa agreed with Washington and asserted that with bull-pens of almost equal strength, the offence will decide the direction of the series.
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