Texas Rangers’ C.J. Wilson confident of bouncing back in World Series Game 1 – MLB Update
Texas Rangers’ ace C.J. Wilson is upbeat of overcoming all obstacles in Game 1 of the World Series against St. Louis Cardinals and Chris Carpenter on Wednesday, October 19 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri to overturn the results he has faced thus far in the postseason.
In three starts this postseason, Wilson is 0-2 at an ERA of 8.04. Overall, Wilson has managed just one win in his seven career postseason outings, losing four in this stretch and allowing runs at an average of 5.40.
Wilson emerged as Texas’ ace after Cliff Lee moved to Philadelphia Phillies after last year’s World Series, which the Rangers lost to San Francisco Giants in five games. Wilson’s performance in the regular season earned him an All-Star game for the American League, finishing the season 16-7 at a 2.94 ERA. This season was one to bask in personal glory for Wilson, as he hurled a career-best 223.1 innings and struck-out 206 batters in the process.
However, he has failed to make a mark since the onset of October and with Carpenter to face, competition will undoubtedly be intense. Commenting on the matchup against Carpenter, Wilson stressed that there is no particular reason to wary against Cardinals’ ace, but underscored that he is an unparalleled pitcher and commands respect on the mound.
Explaining how he aims to get back into his groove, Wilson said, "I would say that there's no particular thing. I mean, if you throw the ball where you want it, that's going to be your best result. It's not like you're going to throw harder [or] slower."
Wilson articulated that he knows the offensive abilities of the Cardinals and thus cannot afford to work his way into the game. Statistically speaking, the Cardinals have managed a run in the first inning seven out of the total 11 games they have played in the postseason and have scored two-plus runs on at least four occasions.
Manager Ron Washington opined that Wilson has the ability to make his presence count and that he has full confidence in his ace’s abilities. Catcher Yorvit Torrealba could not agree more with his manager and asserted that Wilson has been strong all year long and will surely bounce back.
Tags: