The Pecan Park Eagle

Series Shifts to Arlington Tonight, Tied 1-1.

What now?

Just when the Cardinals held the major hand and the chance to go up 2-0 in the second game in St. Louis, they blew the lead in the 9th, allowing the Rangers to come home tied at 1-1 and with Old Man Mo on their side. Do the Rangers  now build on that edge? Or do the Cards get off the deck and break service on the Rangers at home to guarantee a return of the Series to St. Louis for at least one game?

The Rangers’ win in Game Two seems pivotal from a pure numbers part. Had the Cards taken Game Two, they would be coming into Arlington tonight needing only two more to close – or needing only to win one of three in Texas to guarantee two final games in St. Louis as the conclusion of a seven-game series. Now, with the split in St. Louis in the books as history, the Rangers can finish it at home with a three-game sweep. And all of this balance swung over to Texas on the heels of their 2-1 comeback win in Game Two.

Baseball is big on momentum flows. And in the World Series, momentum carries over in between games, effecting, sometimes imperceptibly, how teams prepare and play their next meeting.

We also know that momentum can shift on a dime, In that regard, I’ve always felt that the first inning or two following a contest like Game Two is critical to either one of two outcomes: (1) The Rangers will do something early in Game Three to reenforce the deflation of the Cardinals in the 9th of Game Two; or (2) the Cards will come out slashing and turn the flow of energy lava back onto the backs of the Rangers. These shifts may come from pitching or some incredible play in the field, but most likely will fly off the clubbing of one club or the other at the plate. If they both come out banging hard early, then it’s everybody’s guess as a brand new ballgame –  and with the Series very much on the line and in reach of either club.

Right now, Mr. Pujols of the Cardinals is in need of a major momentum reversal on the heels of his 9th inning fielding error on that muffed cut-off play in the 9th of Game Two, but you don’t need me to tell you that there is no player on earth more capable of a dime-stopping 180 degree shift on the field than one Prince Albert Pujols.

The real answers start unfolding just about twelve hours away from this writing. We shall soon enough see what is to be.

In the meanwhile, where are you putting your own thoughts, hopes, or beliefs? Will the Rangers make themselves at home and keep their new Mo ball rolling? Or will the Cardinals turn it around on foreign soil and put the brakes on Texas for a new St. Louis roll?