NLCS: St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Mets

[Bored 0]

Since it will probably come up, no the Cardinals would not have the worst record of any team to reach the World Series if they advance. The '73 Mets were one game worse at 82-79 as they upset the Big Red Machine and then pushed the defending champion A's to seven games in the Series.

 

I'm rooting for the Mets as they've been by far the best team in the N.L. this year and deserve to represent them in the World Series.

[devo 0]

I'm amazed that the only game in this series with an announced time is the first one, on Wedensday. And I had forgotten until just now that they're all being covered by FOX. Blech.

 

In any case...Mets in five. I can see Carpenter possibly giving the lineup fits, but I don't think anyone else on that staff is a major concern. Their lefties are both relievers and neither are very good. Pujols is obviously a problem and Edmonds and Rolen are no lightweights, but overall, this lineup pales in comparison to the Dodgers'. Again, I'm somewhat nervous about sending Oliver Perez or Dave Williams out there in Game 4, but I think that's just as big a risk for the Mets as sending Weaver to the mound is for the Cardinals.

 

When are the rosters due for this round of the playoffs? Is it the morning of the first game?

[cabbageboy 0]

Jeff Weaver actually was pretty damn good in game 2 of the Padres series. I was as shocked as anyone else.

 

Oddly enough while the Mets were certainly the best in the NL this year the possible World Series matchups have zero appeal to me. Mets vs. Tigers? Bleh. Mets vs. Oakland? Maybe in 1988. Since the whole "OMG Subway Series!" crap is out of the way the Mets might as well lose.

[NYU 0]

And the constantly underachieving Cardinals are any better? Cards/Tigers or Cards/A's...pick your poison. Both of those series have absolutely zero spark.

 

The Cards have had their chance the past few years and failed each time they got close. I'm much more excited to see a World Series with new blood.

[Guest Felonies!]

A's and Mets is the best outcome because you have Moneyball vs. Expensivehispanicball.

[Guest Paul]

This series could be interesting. Do the Cards make an early exit? Do the Mets pitching woes catch up with them?

[The Man in Blak 0]

My gut feeling is that the Mets sweep and the Cardinals never take a lead in the series, but I'll optimistically pick the Mets in six, with the idea that Carpenter can win his game in St. Louis and Pujols will find a way to steal one of the first two games in New York.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Jeff Weaver actually was pretty damn good in game 2 of the Padres series. I was as shocked as anyone else.

 

Yeah, which means it won't happen ever again. Not only because it's Jeff Weaver and he's facing the best offense in the league, but because Anglesault will be camped out on top of one of the light standards, prepared to exact vengeance with a PSG1 and a copy of Catcher in the Rye in his jacket pocket.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

And the constantly underachieving Cardinals are any better? Cards/Tigers or Cards/A's...pick your poison. Both of those series have absolutely zero spark.

 

The Cards have had their chance the past few years and failed each time they got close. I'm much more excited to see a World Series with new blood.

 

*Looks at your avatar*... yeah.

[Guest Felonies!]

No, silly. Carlos Beltran needed a transfusion.

[bob_barron 0]

The Cards have been in the LCS 5 out of the last 7 seasons. 2000, 2002, 2004-2006. That's crazy

[Guest Felonies!]

so they're 1 for 5 for 7? Not that I can talk, the Cubs are 0 for forever.

[Slayer 0]

A's and Mets is the best outcome because you have Moneyball vs. Expensivehispanicball

Book it!

[Hawk 34 0]

St. Louis has supplanted Atlanta for post season futility.

 

If you look closer in the last 15 full seasons, the NLCS has had 12 different teams . The ALCS had 11 teams. Despite the fact NYY, Atlanta and St. Louis were there for almost every year, they still had a larger total then I would have expected.

[Slayer 0]

The Cards have been in the LCS 5 out of the last 7 seasons. 2000, 2002, 2004-2006. That's crazy

And every one of those years (excl this one), they lost to the WC... which means if the pattern holds, they'll lose the WS to the Tigers

[snuffbox 0]

Didn't they lose to Houston last year?

[Hawk 34 0]

Didn't they lose to Houston last year?

 

Yes. Houston was the WC.

[Slayer 0]

In '01 they actually were the WC, but they lost to eventual champ Arizona

[snuffbox 0]

Wait, what?

[snuffbox 0]

Yeah...I see now.

[devo 0]

08:53 AM - News: NYD Says Floyd is Out for Season

 

...posted by Matthew Cerrone...

 

According to the Daily News, Cliff Floyd will miss the rest of the post-season due to an Achilles tendon injury…

 

I suspected as much, but still, pretty disappointing. I like the tandem of Floyd/Chavez a lot better than I do Chavez/Milledge or Chavez/Tucker.

[bob_barron 0]

Since either the Mets or Cardinals will make the WS, this also breaks the 8 year NL streak of having a different team in the World Series.

 

98- Padres 99- Braves 00- Mets 01- D-Backs 02- Giants 03- Fish 04- Cardinals 05- Houston

 

So half the NL teams have represented the league in the World Series in the last 8 seasons

[Hawk 34 0]

Aside from Colorado, LA, Milwaukee and Washington/Montreal, every NL team has reached at least the NLCS since 1990. That's pretty amazing.

[snuffbox 0]

Maybe next year, Milwaukee!

[bob_barron 0]

In the AL- Devil Rays, Kansas City, Texas have gone 0-LCS since 1990

[vivalaultra 0]

I've been wrong about every postseason series this year, so, hoping that the trend continues, I'll say Cards in 6.

 

Not that I think that either the Cardinals or the Mets have any chance of beating either the A's or the Tigers in the WS, I just think that the Mets would put up a better fight. That said, I'd really like to see So Taguchi get a World Series ring. I like me some 'Guch.

[J. Hungerford Smith 0]

Of course no one is giving St. Louis a chance. They didn't in the last series either, yet their inexperienced bullpen and shaky rotation managed to hold a team that was 14-6 with 102 runs scored in their last 20 games of the regular season to 6 runs over 4 games. Say what you want about San Diego having an impotent offense, it is difficult to turn a hot hitting team ice cold like that, especially when so much criticism was being brought down from sports writers about the Cardinals staff and how it was Chris Carpenter with a bunch of question marks. Also 2 of those Padre wins came at St. Louis and one was against Carpenter.

 

Yes the Mets will probably win this series but you can't write off the Cardinals as rolling over and dying. Yes they have done that the past two seasons but this time they aren't actually favored to win anything.

[NYU 0]

Of course no one is giving St. Louis a chance. They didn't in the last series either...

 

They didn't? I certainly knew the Cards were getting past the Padres.

[J. Hungerford Smith 0]

I was mainly referring to sportswriters, check the ESPN.com predictions, only one of like twenty people on that panel picked the Cards over the Padres

[Slayer 0]

Understandably so, as SD was coming in fairly hot while the Cards limped in... but, if anything, this postseason was further proof that momentum into the postseason means fuck all, considering who came in hot (Dodgers, Padres, Twins, Yankees) and cold (Tigers, Mets, Cards)