This Wasn’t In the Script

OK, wait a minute.  Back up.  Let’s look at this again, because something isn’t going quite as planned.

You are telling me that the Cardinals lost BOTH games that Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright started?  The one big advantage this team had and it’s been squandered?  At least you could put some of the blame on Carp for his outing, because he definitely didn’t have it.  Waino, though?  How tough of a loss is that for the warrior?

A lot of people are focused on Matt Holliday’s error this morning.  Which is understandable–if he catches that ball, the game is over, the Cards have split, you feel good about going home with Joel Pineiro vs. Vicente Padilla and you can count on a rested Carp for a Game 5, if necessary.

Like Don Denkinger’s blown call, though, it was one of those things that you can and should get past.  After that play, the Dodgers walked, singled (tying the game), moved up on a wild pitch, walked again, and then blooped another hit.  Any one of those could have ended the game in favor of the Cardinals, but they didn’t get it done.

The biggest problem in the Cardinal dugout, though, is the inability to get runs in.  That tone was set early.  When you have bases loaded and no outs in the first inning of the first game and only get one because a bloop falls between the second baseman and the outfield, it might be a sign that it’s going to be a long (or, rather, short) series.

I don’t know what else to say about this team.  Either they’ll get some hits and score some runs or they won’t have to worry about packing again this season.  I wouldn’t go to the level of calling them Cubs, but maybe that level of insult will wake them up and get them playing.

Is this team dead?  Obviously, they have the talent to win three straight.  As Albert Pujols said, they could win 11 straight.  They aren’t going to do that.  Without some sort of resurgent offense, it’s going to be tough enough to win three, especially since they can wait and throw Randy Wolf (who, granted, St. Louis was able to get to somewhat on Wednesday) and make the Cardinals beat a lefty.

Since the Divisional Series format was put into play, the Cards have played in it eight previous times, posting a record of 20-5 and only losing one other NLDS, the 2001 tilt with Steve Kline allowing that little flare to Tony Womack, keeping the Diamondbacks on the path to their eventual World Series title.  So the Cardinals have that going for them, which is good.

However, with two members of that 2006 squad on the other side in this series, it may be a sign that fortune has switched sides.  We’ll find out Saturday.

Daniel Shoptaw is the founder of “C70 At The Bat,” where he regularly writes about his beloved St. Louis Cardinals.  You can find more of his work here.