NLCS, Game 6

By Heraclitus

My rage knows no bounds. Why the hell is Scott Rolen batting ahead of Yadier Molina? Why is he batting ahead of Ronnie Belliard? Come to think of it, why is he batting at all?

Seriously, with their supposed Cy Young-caliber pitcher starting tonight, the Cardinals have to win. I actually don't think their offense has yet had the kind of game it can. So one way or another, the Cardinals should win this game. But what just happened in the top of the first is not a good start.

Then again, neither is this gee dee lead-off home run in the bottom of the first.

UPDATE, top of the third: Yeah, okay, we get it, David Wright. You want to be Derek Jeter, but you're afraid to actually dive into the stands after the ball.

Lookin' good, Spezio (that's in reference to a strikeout).

UPDATE, middle of the sixth. Okay, I don't mean to bash Rolen too mercilessly, but did you see that "hustle" on that double play? Edmonds slid into second, delayed Valentin by at least a second, and Rolen was still out by at least two steps. Terrible. By the way, just to reiterate my point from the other night, I think Valentin is instrumental to the Mets' success. Nothing gets by him, and I haven't seen him make an error. His play has simply been superb.

FINAL UPDATE, end of the eighth. Mets 4, Cards 0. I really don't understand the Cardinals. If you're reading this, you probably know who they have in their lineup. But for all the power (and average) they have, it's not at all uncommon for them to just be blanked in big games like this. So, we "get" a game seven, I suppose. I still think St. Louis can have a big game from their offense, so who knows what to expect. But, at this point, I'm still rooting for the Cardinals, but I'm expecting the Mets to win. The one hope for St. Louis, I think, is that Suppan is pitching, and he did very well earlier in the series. So, we'll see. Okay, that's a little to non-committal to end with. Um... go Cardinals!

Well, aitch's bells, maybe this isn't over. Rolen finally delivers with a great double and then, with runners on second and third, Belliard has what was maybe the worst at-bat in playoff history. Come to think of it, he had some weird play at second earlier that cost them a double-play. Methinks, perhaps, the fix is on...Anyways, then Molina flies out. Then So Taguchi has a splendid two-run double. Have I not said he needs to be in the starting line-up? Okay, back to the top of the order, two outs... and Eckstein grounds out to second. So, Game Six is over, 4-2, Mets. But they cannot feel good about putting Billy Wagner back out, should the need arise in Game Seven. So, we'll see -- oh, I mean, go Cardinals!