St. Louis Cardinals’ Skip Schumaker to join team in Game 2 – MLB Playoffs
The St. Louis Cardinals have decided to rotate the position of second base in continuum given the Texas Rangers propensity for their renowned defence at second base. As a result, Skip Schumaker may also not spend much time at it.
He is now slated to be in Game 2 of the World Series which is scheduled to be played on Thursday, October 20. Once he joins the team on Thursday, he will effectively replace Adron Chambers who served at that position in Schumaker’s absence.
Although Schumaker gleaned his fame for being a dominant name at second base for the St. Louis Cardinals, the recent developments have forced the team management to go for drastic changes as the World Series begins.
A strained right oblique muscle, the injury that he had suffered in Game 5 of the National League Division Series, kept Schumaker away from the National League Championship Series. In his absence, there apparently seemed no dependable alternative.
However, Rafael Furcal and Nick Punto brought about a refreshingly good change in the team, providing a solid defence for the otherwise seemingly weakened St. Louis Cardinals.
"We know he can play second base and he can play the outfield," manager Tony La Russa said about Schumaker. "So he becomes for sure, now that Chambers is not with us, he's our fourth outfielder. Whether he plays second? He hasn't played in a couple weeks.”
The team manager also wants to go slowly as he will observe if there is a necessity of playing him at second.
“If he plays tomorrow, I'm not sure how many times the balls goes there, left-hander against their right-handed lineup. But one day at a time."
In October, Schumaker has a .600 average in 10 at-bats, scoring a run and having had a total of six hits to his credit, three of which have been RBIs. His regular season was not a disappointment either for the team as he maintained a .283 average in 117
games that he played, scoring a total of 34 runs.
It remains to be seen if Schumaker can put in a brilliant display that he is known for.
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