St. Louis Cardinals fall 1-2 against Texas Rangers in World Series Game 2 – MLB Update
Tony La Russa’s dependence on his bull-pen suffered a set-back when Jason Motte allowed two runs in the ninth inning to see the St. Louis Cardinals go down 1-2 against Texas Rangers in Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday, October 20 at Busch Stadium in
St. Louis, Missouri.
Rangers’ starting pitcher Colby Lewis entered into an intense fight with his opponent Jaime Garcia, before Cardinals’ offence broke the ice in the seventh inning to take a handy one-run lead over the American League Champions, who earlier lost Game 1 on
Wednesday, October 19.
Lewis pitched six scoreless innings to keep the Rangers in contention, but the Allen Craig-David Freese combination did the magic for the Redbirds yet again. Coming in as pinch hitter for Garcia, Craig made full use of his only at-bat, driving in a single
to right field for Freese, who was named National League Championship Series’ Most Valuable Player for his outstanding offensive contributions.
In Game 1, Craig came in as pinch hitter for Chris Carpenter and drove in a run for Freese, which eventually won the game for the Redbirds. This time, however, the Cardinals failed to sustain the lead and lost to a more determined Rangers, who had expressed
a liking for the National League-style of play.
Before the start of the World Series, Rangers’ manager Ron Washington stated that although his team is among the best offensive sides on the circuit, it is better suited to low-scoring intense game which demands more valour. The Rangers failed to live up
to this assertion in Game 1, but fulfilled it in Game 2, winning it in the dying moments.
Sticking to his strategy from Game 1, La Russa removed Garcia from the hill in the seventh inning, after the Cardinals imposed a lead on the Rangers. Although slender, La Russa believed that his bull-pen has the ability safely close things for the Redbirds.
Fernando Salas and Marc Rzepczynski combined to pitch a perfect eighth for the Cardinals and hand the lead over to Motte, who has been exceptional in the depth throughout the season. However, Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus scored a run each in the ninth to
convert a one-run deficit into a lead of equal magnitude. Neftali Feliz then tossed a perfect ninth to save the game for Texas.
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