Grammatically speaking, it should be Games 7 rather than Game 7s, right? Like Attorneys General?
Game 7 Score: Cardinals Walk Their Way to 5-2 Lead In 5th
It’s not like I’m obsessing over this or anything. Just wondering. Because, you know.
Anyway, Matt Harrison's out of the game after four innings in which he gave up five hits, two walks, and three runs. Most damningly, Harrison struck out just one Cardinal ... and that was Chris Carpenter, for which Harrison gets half-credit.
Scott Feldman, who threw 16 pitches in Game 6 and gave up a big hit, replaced Harrison to start the bottom of the fifth and took up where he left off Thursday night.
Actually, Feldman got leadoff man Ryan Theriot, but then he walked Allen Craig and -- on an 0-and-2 pitch -- threw a fastball that grazed Albert Pujols' jersey.
After falling behind Lance Berkman 2-and-0, he got Berkman on a grounder to first base, with the runners moving up. And then Ron Washington did something strange; the second strange thing he'd done in this inning: Washington ordered an intentional walk to All-World (Series) David Freese, loading the bases.
Statistically speaking, you give up more runs when you intentionally walk batters than when you don’t.
Feldman fell behind 3-and-0 to Yadier Molina. He threw a BP fastball for strike one, and a cutter that just clipped outside corner for strike two. But then he missed outside, though it was awfully close ...
and the Cardinals had a run without hitting a ball out of the infield in the inning.
That brought Washington out of the dugout, and C.J. Wilson in from the bullpen.
Wilson had already tied the record for most walks in a postseason, and instead of breaking the record forthwith, his first pitch was a fastball that plunked Rafael Furcal in the hip to force in yet another run. Wilson did strike out Skip Schumaker to finally end the inning.
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