2011 NLCS: Cardinals Eliminate Brewers In Six, Return To World Series

That’s Hairston committing a pair of errors on one play in the top of the fifth, on which a run scored. Another unearned run would score two batters later, and the Cardinals were in front 11-5. Though it was only halfway done, the game was basically over.

So it’s the Cardinals and the Rangers, with the World Series set to begin Wednesday night in St. Louis. Neither team has gotten this far by riding its starting rotation, but then, each team is strong enough that it hasn’t had to. This should be a hell of a good, long series.

You’re not supposed to order a sacrifice bunt when your pitcher’s on deck.

You’re not supposed to yank your starting pitcher with two outs in the fifth inning, when he’s pitched effectively and you’ve got a three-run lead.

It might seem to you that Baseball Nation has been paying more attention to the American League than the National League. Maybe it doesn’t seem that way to you, and maybe it isn’t that way at all, but it seems to me that it might seem that way to you, and that’s probably because I personally have been paying more attention to the American League than the National League, and the way I am is the way everybody is. I’m so understanding!

Now, granted, “down in the zone” is one of those things that baseball men say so often that it’s almost completely lost its meaning. The key to every game against a good offense is that a pitcher has to stay down in the zone. If a pitcher is struggling to throw strikes, he needs to get calm and work down in the zone. And so on. But sometimes “down in the zone” has its merits, and it’s worth examining how the Brewers pitched Pujols last night. His four at bats that resulted in hits:

Why? Two reasons. For one, it’s the National League Championship Series! The winner will advance to the World Series! That’s amazing! How could you not be interested in this!

And for two, the Brewers and the Cardinals really do not like one another. It’s kind of the main story surrounding the whole thing. The Rangers and the Tigers feel about each other the way two successful singer-songwriters might feel about each other - maybe a little competitiveness, but lots of mutual respect. The Brewers and the Cardinals feel about each other the way warring states feel about each other. They are warring.

The 2011 National League Championship Series is set after two thrilling Game 5s on Friday night. The Milwaukee Brewers used a 10th inning single by Nyjer Morgan to down the Arizona Diamondbacks and take the series with a 3-2 win. In the nightcap, the St. Louis Cardinals rode the arm of Chris Carpenter, escaping Philadelphia with a 1-0 win over the Phillies to advance to the NLCS.

The Brewers and Cardinals have the day off on Saturday before getting right back to work on Sunday in Game 1 of the NLCS. Milwaukee has the hosting duties, with the first pitch set for 4:05 p.m.