Cardinals, Tigers Go With Rookies in Series Opener…
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The Detroit Tigers head into the World Series on a week’s rest while the St. Louis Cardinals, who won a mere 83 regular season games but who managed to win the NL Central Division and come on to defeat the New York Mets to win the NL pennant, enter the Series after Thursday’s victory in game 7 of the NLCS over the Mets.
Saturday’s opening game as well as game 2 both take place in Detroit, at Comerica Park.
Both the Cardinals and Tigers open with rookie pitchers, the Cards going with Anthony Reyes while the Tigers go with 17 game winner Justin Verlanger.
In game 2, the Cardinals start Jeff Weaver vs Kenny “the Gambler” Rogers who also won 17 games for the Tigers.
Yahoo senior writer Santosh Venkataraman comments on Saturday’s series opener;
It’s the third World Series between these teams. The Tigers won in seven games in 1968 and the Cardinals won in seven in 1934.
This year’s Detroit team stretched its losing streak to six games by dropping Game 1 of its division series with the Yankees. However, the Tigers have roared back to win their last seven games by outscoring opponents 40-15 and posting a 2.14 ERA.
The Cardinals had quite a different path to this point, beating San Diego in four games in the division series before outlasting the New York Mets in seven games in the NL championship series.
The length of the NLCS appears to have given Detroit a distinct advantage.
The Tigers haven’t played since eliminating Oakland last Saturday in the ALCS, and the last six teams to start the World Series with five or more days of rest all went on to win. The Cardinals had to travel to Detroit late Thursday night after their 3-1 victory at New York.
St. Louis isn’t using its top two starters, reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter and NLCS MVP Jeff Suppan, until the series moves to Busch Stadium for Games 3 and 4. All of Detroit’s pitchers are well rested.
For the first time in World Series history, both teams will open with rookies on the mound. Justin Verlander will start for Detroit after going 1-0 with a 5.91 ERA in two playoff starts — both on the road.
The 23-year-old right-hander, who will be pitching for the first time in 10 days, went 8-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 14 outings at home this year.
“I definitely used the time,” Verlander said. “Pitching late into October my first year, the innings are a lot and there’s some fatigue going on. Being able to rest my arm a little bit and kind of recuperate before this next series definitely helps.”
Verlander won the only time he’s ever faced the Cardinals, allowing four runs and seven hits over six innings in a 10-6 victory on June 23.
The Cardinals counter with Anthony Reyes, who will make only his second postseason start. Reyes lasted four innings and gave up two runs and three hits Sunday in a 12-5 loss to the Mets in Game 4.
The 25-year-old right-hander, who has never faced Detroit, went 2-5 with a 5.29 ERA in nine road outings in the regular season.
“I’m just trying to not think about it right now, just trying to relax and just get rested up and get ready for tomorrow,” Reyes said Friday.
St. Louis will be seeing a familiar face in second baseman Placido Polanco, who spent his first 4 1/2 years with the Cardinals. Polanco, who suffered a separated shoulder in August that nearly kept him out of the postseason, is 16-for-34 (.471) in the playoffs and was named ALCS MVP.
One of Polanco’s best friends from his days in St. Louis is Dominican countryman Albert Pujols, who has just one RBI in the Cardinals’ last nine playoff games. The reigning NL MVP is hitting .324 (12-for-37) in the playoffs, the second-best mark of any St. Louis regular.
The slugger trails only surprising catcher Yadier Molina, who is hitting .333 (12-for-36). Molina was the hero Thursday when his two-run homer off Aaron Heilman in the ninth inning snapped a 1-1 tie.
For a full box score and play-by-plays on Saturday’s and Sunday’s games, click here and here.
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