Texas' Washington: Feliz wasn't mentally ready

Ben and Skin catch up with Rangers skipper Ron Washington and get his thoughts on losing the World Series, the leaked clubhouse tape and how the team will move on should they lose C.J. Wilson to free agency. More Podcasts " "We'll just say that he was really upset and his state of mind at the time wasn't where we felt like he could go out there and get it done," Washington told the Ben and Skin Show on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM. "And the lineup set up perfectly for Darren Oliver, and he didn't get it done. "So it wasn't like we didn't get it done because Neftali didn't go back out there. I still feel like that lineup set up perfectly for who we put out there and the job just didn't get done. The end result is we just didn't get it done." After taking a two-run lead in the 10th inning, the Rangers again were just one strike from winning the World Series. Instead, the Cardinals tied it again off Oliver before eventually winning the game in the 11th to force a deciding Game 7.

Stark: Exploring the market for Pujols and Fielder

• How about this for an international incident waiting to happen: Manny Ramirez in Japan? A source with ties to Japanese baseball tells Rumblings that Manny had a Florida tryout for a Japanese team (the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks) a couple of weeks ago, but "it didn't go well." And what was the hang-up? "The Japanese don't like 'baggage' in a player," the source said, "no matter how talented he might be." Wait. Manny has baggage? Never noticed. • If this labor deal ever gets done, the schedule is about to undergo a dramatic change. We'll be heading for 15 teams in each league, five teams in each of the six divisions and an interleague game every day. But the biggest change could be nearly TWICE as many interleague games, because every team in a division would play exactly the same schedule. Here's the new format we've heard is on the drawing board: Eighteen games against each of the other four teams in your division; six games against each of the other 10 teams in your league; three interleague games against each of the five teams in the corresponding division in the other league (i.e., AL East versus NL East); three more interleague games against each team in one of the other two divisions (i.e., AL East versus NL Central one year, NL West the next). three interleague games against two divisions in the other league Add that up and you get 72 intra-division games, 60 more intra-league games and 30 interleague games a year -- up from the current 15 to 18 interleague games a year. The other net result of that change: Only three "rivalry" games (Mets-Yankees, Cubs-White Sox, etc.) every season instead of six. • Despite all the predictions we've heard that Fielder could eventually wind up in Washington, teams that have spoken with the Nationals report they seem much more focused on finding A) a veteran starting pitcher and B) a center fielder who could lead off. Their center-field expedition could take them in all kinds of directions. But on the pitching front, one exec who spoke with them says he believes that in a perfect world, they'd prefer Mark Buehrle over either C.J. Wilson or Roy Oswalt, the two starters they've been most linked to on the rumor mill. They're not expected to make a big push on Yu Darvish. • And while we're on the subject of Darvish, the longer he waits to announce he's ready to come to America, the more some teams are beginning to wonder if he's heading this way at all. He still hasn't been posted by his team in Japan, remember. And even that posting just launches a bidding duel among U.S. teams, which is followed by a negotiating period with the player. So even if he's posted tomorrow, interested teams wouldn't know their fate until at least late December. "We're already into free agency," one AL executive said. "So when is he going to post? If he waits much longer, by the time he's ready to negotiate, teams won't have any money to spend." • The Marlins may not have officially announced which free-agent position player ranks No. 1 on their shopping list, but they've already made it fairly clear. Their owner (Jeffrey Loria), president (David Samson) and president for baseball operations (Larry Beinfest) were spotted in a New York hotel bar, meeting with Jose Reyes and his agents just after midnight last Thursday, minutes after the free-agent negotiating period had begun. Any more questions? • Michael Cuddyer isn't the only longtime Twins player the Phillies are pursuing. We're hearing they're also in on Jason Kubel. They've also checked in on Grady Sizemore, but sounds as if they're mostly kicking tires at this point. • One friend of Jimmy Rollins tells Rumblings he has more than a half-dozen teams interested in him. An educated guess on five of them: Phillies, Cardinals, Brewers, Braves and Giants. Jurrjens • Teams that have spoken with the Braves report they're continuing to "float" Jair Jurrjens' name, even after their potential deal to send him to Kansas City fell through. "They're not really pushing him. They're floating him," said an executive of one team that spoke with them. "The impression we got is they've got to unload money. They want to get a bat, and the only way to do it is to unload money. The one guy they'd move, no problem, is Martin Prado. He seems like he's fallen from grace over there." • Speaking of Kansas City, teams that have been in touch with the Royals say they're no longer looking to make a deal for a potential top-of-the-rotation starter, now that they've traded for Jonathan Sanchez. At this point, the Royals prefer to hang onto their prospects and fish for back-of-the-rotation options in the free-agent pool. One potential option if they can't re-sign Bruce Chen: Chris Capuano.

Bowden: Pricing the top free agents

Albert Pujols 1B 31 9 $243M $27M Analysis: Pujols is the Babe Ruth of this era. Don't be surprised if a team such as the Washington Nationals makes a stealth offer of 10 years at $300 million, but I still think he will return to the Cardinals for less. Agent Dan Lozano's goal is to surpass Alex Rodriguez 's 10-year, $275 million extension signed back in 2008 with the New York Yankees. However, with the Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies not expected to bid, this seems unlikely. Best fits: St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs For a full breakdown of how much former MLB GM Jim Bowden would pay for the top free agents, become an ESPN Insider. Already an Insider? Sign in below: Username Password Sign In with Facebook ESPN The Magazine subscribers Activate your Insider account " Need more information? View Insider Benefits " ... or become an today 1 Year Membership - $3.33 a month Includes a 1 YEAR subscription to ESPN The Magazine - Over 50% off the monthly price! 2 Year Membership - $2.50 a month (Best Value) Includes a 2 YEAR subscription to ESPN The Magazine - Over 63% off the monthly price! Monthly Membership - $6.95 a month Offseason Buyer's Guide Prince Fielder headlines the 2011 free agent class, but who are the other players who could be changing teams this winter? Rankings Nov. 3: Law: Top 50 free agents | Tracker Nov. 4: Bowden: Projected value rankings Reaction Oct. 31: Law: Lowe can help Tribe Oct. 31: Bowden: Yankees had to pay Sabathia Buyer's Guide Nov. 4: Buyers Guide: First basemen/DH Nov. 7: Buyers Guide: Middle infielders Nov. 8: Buyers Guide: Outfielders Nov. 9: Buyers Guide: Third basemen Nov. 10: Buyers Guide: Starting Pitchers Nov. 11: Buyers Guide: Relief Pitchers Nov. 12: Buyers Guide: Catchers Features Oct. 30: Perry: Five biggest holes Oct. 31: Cameron: Five must moves Nov. 1: Meyers: Beware of C.J Wilson Nov. 2: Goldstein: Winter League solutions Nov. 4: Olney: Strong maket for Buehrle Nov. 7: Jedlovec: Finding hidden value FAs Nov. 8: Szymborski: Shopping in the $0.99 bin Nov. 10: Fangraphs: Coming from Japan

Cubs' Epstein: Francona a top skipper option

ESPN MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian says the Cardinals should look at Terry Francona to fill their managerial opening. Plus, Kurkjian says he hopes Bobby Valentine will be interviewed for openings in Boston and Chicago. More Podcasts " Epstein's list of managerial candidates understandably has some overlap with Boston's process. The Red Sox have also been granted permission to interview Maddux, the older brother of former Cubs and Braves great Greg Maddux. "Mike is in a key role for us and has had a prominent hand in our success the past few years," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said on Thursday. "But this is a unique opportunity to discuss a coveted position with two storied franchises, and we believe in allowing our people to pursue opportunities that they're interested in. It reflects well both on Mike and our organization that he's under consideration."

Yanks, Sabathia reach five-year, $122M deal

ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney says Tony La Russa is the best manager of his generation. Plus, Olney says Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia wasn't going to get a better offer anywhere else besides New York. More Podcasts " The two sides never met face to face, but an offer was "transmitted" Friday to Peters that was "close" to the final deal. Peters, who flew to New York this week and stayed at Sabathias's home in North Jersey, came back with a counteroffer and "a lot of ground was covered between 5 and 6 p.m. on Monday," a source told ESPNNewYork.com's Wallace Matthews. According to the source, the Yankees were "surprised" that Sabathia chose not to opt out, but added, "I think there were other teams that might have matched the $92 million the Yankees owed Sabathia on existing contract, but I don't think there were many that would have guaranteed him $122 million." In 2008, Sabathia's $161 million deal to join the Yankees was the largest ever for a starter. However, the Philadelphia Phillies gave Cliff Lee an average annual salary of $24 million for five seasons. On his original contract, Sabathia's average salary was $23 million per season. The Yankees originally put in the opt-out clause to give Sabathia an escape hatch in case he did not like the Bronx. At the time, there was a strong feeling throughout the industry that Sabathia wanted to play in his home state of California. A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Sabathia and his wife, Amber, often have spoken of their affection for New York City and their desire to remain here. This past spring training, however, he hedged on that pledge, then declined to answer questions about it throughout the season. Monday night, Sabathia said the key for him was his family "and making sure everything was kosher with them" with living in the New York area. Then he learned what it was like pitching in the $1.5 billion new Yankee Stadium. "The energy, what you get coming out the bullpen, the fans," he said. "Everything it is it is to be pitching in New York, in the Bronx. It's just so much fun. To be part of this organization is just a dream for me." If Sabathia had opted for free agency, he clearly would have been the top starting pitcher on the market. After Sabathia, the Rangers' C.J. Wilson, Japanese standout Yu Darvish, Chicago White Sox's Mark Buehrle and the Phillies' Roy Oswalt are some of the other top free-agent starters. A team first will have to win the posting to Darvish's Japanese team before it can negotiate with the right-hander. Sabathia went 19-8 for the Yankees in 2011 and has won 59 games for them in three seasons, including 21 in 2010. But his effectiveness diminished in the second half of this past season and he was unable to win a ballgame in the ALDS, which the Yankees lost in five games to the Detroit Tigers. Still, it was imperative for the Yankees that Sabathia return to their rotation, because they have only two other established starters, Ivan Nova and A.J. Burnett, in the fold for 2012, and only one -- Nova -- is considered reliable. Sabathia, the 2007 Cy Young Award winner as a member of the Cleveland Indians, has thrown an average of 240 innings in each of his past five seasons and has one of the most durable arms in baseball. Sabathia entered spring training this year looking much trimmer -- which he attributed in part to cutting down on Cap'n Crunch -- but by the end of the season appeared heavier, and his conditioning was questioned. Sabathia had offseason knee surgery last year, but has not been hurt in the regular season as a Yankee. Sabathia said he plans on losing weight. "It's something I do regardless, and be proactive," he said. "I just need to go out and be healthy and try to do what I can to be up there for every start for this team. For me, that means losing weight, so that's what I'll do." Sabathia's first three years, in the words of manager Joe Girardi, have been "spectacular." He and the Yankees wanted them to continue -- and now they will. Information from ESPNNewYork.com's Andrew Marchand and Wallace Matthews and The Associated Press was used in this report.

Cards complete improbable run, win 11th Series

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols thrust both arms high in the air, even before he reached home plate.It was only the first inning, and already it felt as if the St. Louis Cardinals were home free. Because after they had overcome so much just to get this far, what could stop them? The Cardinals won a remarkable World Series they weren't even supposed to reach, beating the Texas Rangers 6-2 in Game 7 on Friday night with another key hit by hometown star David Freese and six gutty innings from Chris Carpenter.Pushed to the brink, the Cardinals kept saving themselves. A frantic rush to reach the postseason on the final day. A nifty pair of comebacks in the playoffs. Two desperate rallies in Game 6."This whole ride, this team deserves this," said Freese, who added the Series MVP award to his trophy as the NL championship MVP.A day after an epic game that saw them twice within one strike of elimination before winning 10-9 in 11 innings, the Cardinals captured their 11th World Series crown."It's hard to explain how this happened," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.Following a whole fall on the edge, including a surge from 10½ games down in the wild-card race, La Russa's team didn't dare mess with Texas, or any more drama in baseball's first World Series Game 7 since the Angels beat Giants in 2002. Freese's two-run double tied it in the first, with Pujols celebrating as he scored. Good-luck charm Allen Craig hit a go-ahead homer in the third.Given a chance to pitch by a Game 6 rainout and picked by La Russa earlier in the day to start on three days' rest, Carpenter and the tireless St. Louis bullpen closed it out.No Rally Squirrel needed on this night, either. Fireworks and confetti rang out at Busch Stadium when Jason Motte retired David Murphy on a fly ball to end it. "We just kept playing," Cardinals star Lance Berkman said.Said La Russa: "If you watch the history of baseball, teams come back."The Rangers, meanwhile, will spend the whole winter wondering how it all got away. Texas might dwell on it forever, in fact, or at least until Nolan Ryan & Co. can reverse a World Series slide that started with last year's five-game wipeout against San Francisco. "We were close. Two times. Game 6. That's it," Texas pitcher Colby Lewis said.Ryan left tightlipped. When a reporter tried to ask the Rangers president and part-owner a question, someone in his entourage said: "He's not talking."Texas had not lost consecutive games since August. These two defeats at Busch Stadium cost manager Ron Washington and the Rangers a chance to win their first title in the franchise's 51-year history.Instead, Texas became the first team to lose the Series two straight years since Atlanta in 1991-92. "Sometimes when opportunity is in your presence, you certainly can't let it get away because sometimes it takes a while before it comes back," Washington said. "If there's one thing that happened in this World Series that I'll look back on is being so close, just having one pitch to be made and one out to be gotten, and it could have been a different story."Added Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre: "We tried to come back today, but the momentum just took them."It's not a nice feeling, you know, being one strike away twice. I guess it's probably easier to lose four games in a row in a World Series, but being a strike away it's something that will be hard to forget." This marked the ninth straight time the home team had won Game 7 in the World Series. The wild-card Cardinals held that advantage over the AL West champions because the NL won the All-Star Game -- Texas could blame that on their own pitcher, C.J. Wilson, who took the loss in July.A year full of inspiring rallies and epic collapses was encapsulated in Game 6. Freese was the star, with a tying triple in the ninth and a winning home run in the 11th. His two RBIs in the clincher gave him a postseason record 21.The Cardinals won their first championship since 2006, and gave La Russa his third World Series title. They got there by beating Philadelphia in the first round of the NL playoffs, capped by Carpenter outdueling Roy Halladay 1-0 in the deciding Game 5, and then topping Milwaukee in the NL championship series."I think the last month of the season, that's where it started," Pujols said. "Different guys were coming huge, getting big hits, and we carried that into the postseason and here we are, world champions."By the time Yadier Molina drew a bases-loaded walk from starter Matt Harrison and Rafael Furcal was hit by a pitch from Wilson in relief, the crowd began to sense a championship was near.The Cardinals improved to 8-3 in Game 7s of the Series, more wins than any other club. Yet fans here know their history well, and were aware this game could go either way -- Dizzy Dean and the Gas House Gang won 11-0 in 1934, but Whitey Herzog and his Cardinals lost 11-0 in 1985.On this evening, all the stars aligned for St. Louis.Starting in place of injured Matt Holliday, Craig hit his third homer of the Series and made a leaping catch at the top of the left field wall. Molina made another strong throw to nail a stray runner. And Carpenter steeled himself to pitch into the seventh, every bit an ace."It was in our grasp and we didn't get it," Washington said, referring to Game 6. "Tonight we fought hard for it and the Cardinals got it."Pujols went 0 for 2, walked and was hit by a pitch in what could have been his last game with the Cardinals. Many think the soon-to-be free agent will remain in St. Louis. "You know what? I'm not even thinking about that. I'm thinking about, you know, we're the world champions and I'm going to celebrate and whenever that time comes, you know, then we'll deal with it," he said.Pujols did plenty of damage. His three-homer job in Game 3 was the signature performance of his career and perhaps the greatest hitting show in postseason history.Dismissed by some as a dull Series even before it began because it lacked the big-market glamour teams, it got better inning by inning. Plus, a postseason first: A bullpen telephone mixup played a prominent role."I told you it was going to be a great series, and it was," Texas slugger Josh Hamilton said."I don't care what other people remember. We fell a little bit short. Hats off to the Cards, they did a great job, especially last night. It was actually fun to watch and fun to see. You hate it but it happened."Craig hit a solo home run in the third, an opposite field fly to right that carried into the Cardinals bullpen and got their relievers dancing. The super-sub put St. Louis ahead 3-2 with his third homer of the Series. He was in the lineup only because Holliday sprained his right wrist on a pickoff play a night earlier and was replaced on the roster.By then, the largest crowd at 6-year-old Busch Stadium was buzzing. The fans seemed a bit drained much earlier, maybe worn out from the previous night.They grew hush in the first when Hamilton and Michael Young hit consecutive RBI doubles. Texas might have gotten more, but Ian Kinsler strayed too far off first base and was trapped by Molina's rocket throw.Freese changed the mood in a hurry as St. Louis tied it in the bottom half. Pujols and Lance Berkman drew two-out walks and pitching coach Mike Maddux trotted to the mound while Freese stepped in to a standing ovation.Freese rewarded his family and a ballpark full of new friends by lining a full-count floater to the wall in left center for a two-run double. Harrison was in trouble, and Wilson began warming up after only 23 pitches.Carpenter wasn't sharp at the outset, either. All over the strike zone, he started seven of the first 10 batters with balls. Pitching coach Dave Duncan made a visit in the second to check on the tall righty, lingering for a few extra words."I was hoping to have an opportunity to go ahead and pitch in that game and fortunately it worked out," Carpenter said. "It started off a little rough in the first. But I was able to collect myself, make some pitches and our guys did an awesome job to battle back. And I mean, it's just amazing."Game notes Texas set a Series record by walking 41 batters, one more than Florida in 1997. Of the 34 runs the Cardinals scored, 11 reached on walks and two more on hit batters. ... The crowd was 47,399. ... The Cardinals will play the first game of the 2012 season in North America, opening the Miami Marlins' new ballpark on April 4.

Lucchino viewing free agency with 'skepticism'

Boston's recent big-ticket free-agent signings have not worked out as planned. John Lackey's second year of a five-year, $82.5 million contract was a colossal disappointment (12-12, 6.41 ERA) and ended with him needing Tommy John surgery. And Carl Crawford's first season of a seven-year, $142 million deal was a major letdown, as well (.255 average, 11 homers, 56 RBIs).

Rangers' Harrison to start Game 7 despite delay

ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney says the Game 6 rainout Wednesday doesn't change much in Game 6, but could have a big impact on Game 7. Plus, Olney says Cardinals manager Tony La Russa could use pitcher Chris Carpenter in an emergency. More Podcasts "

New Cubs president Epstein: 'Truly feels great'

ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine discusses the expectations for Theo Epstein in Chicago, Carlos Zambrano's future with the Cubs and more. More Podcasts "

Holland stars as Rangers blank Cards, tie series

ARLINGTON, Texas -- So close to a World Series shutout, Derek Holland did everything he could, trying to convince Texas manager Ron Washington to let him finish. There they stood on the mound, two outs to go in the ninth inning, the pitcher pleading his case as the crowd chanted his name."He was begging," Washington said. Or, as Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler described it: "A lot of profanity, we sounded like sailors out there."Washington listened, then signaled for closer Neftali Feliz. Holland had done his job in Game 4, and then some. He had kept Albert Pujols in the ballpark and the Rangers in this Series.In a title matchup that's getting more interesting with every game, Holland put the emphasis back on pitching. Given a pep talk by Washington minutes before the game, Holland threw two-hit ball for 8 1/3 innings to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 on Sunday night and even things at 2-all.Holland struck out seven, walked two and never was in trouble against a team that erupted for 16 runs the previous night. He came within two outs of pitching the first complete-game shutout in the World Series since Josh Beckett's gem for Florida to clinch the 2003 title at Yankee Stadium."I was very focused. I knew this was a big game for us," said Holland, who was 16-5 with 3.95 ERA and four shutouts in the regular season. "I had to step up and make sure I was prepared."Hobbled Josh Hamilton put Texas ahead with an RBI double in the first inning. Then Mike Napoli broke it open with a three-run homer in the sixth that set off a hearty high-five in the front row between team president Nolan Ryan and former President George W. Bush. And just like that, for the first time since 2003, the World Series stood at two games apiece. Now the whole season is down to a best of three, with the outcome to be decided back at Busch Stadium.Game 5 is Monday night at Rangers Ballpark. It's a rematch of the opener, when Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter topped C.J. Wilson.A day after Pujols produced arguably the greatest hitting show in postseason history, tying Series records with three home runs, six RBIs and five hits during the Cardinals' romp, Holland emerged as the unlikely star.Holland got a big cheer when he took the mound in the ninth and was still throwing 96 mph. After he walked Rafael Furcal with one out, Washington strolled to the mound."I was begging to stay out there," Holland said. "I said, 'I'll give it everything I've got. I can get the double play.'"When I came off the field my arm hair was sticking up -- not like I have much."Holland tipped his cap and waved to the fans as he walked off. His outing was the longest scoreless appearance by an AL starter in the Series since Andy Pettitte also went 8 1/3 at Atlanta in 1996.Feliz took over and closed. He walked Allen Craig, then retired Pujols on a fly ball and struck out Matt Holliday to end it.Pujols finished 0 for 4 and hit the ball out of the infield only once."I wanted him to see my 'A' game," Holland said.Said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa: "Well, I would just say he worked us over. Give him credit.""Good pitching is always going to stop good hitting," he said.Holland was in tune all evening with Napoli, his pal and catcher. Much better than the battery for the pregame ceremony -- Bush tossed a wild pitch that glanced off the catcher's mitt Ryan wore."I should've gone with the regular glove," Ryan said with a chuckle.The bounce-back Rangers managed to avoid consecutive losses for the first time since Aug. 23-25, a streak that's kept them out of trouble in the postseason.The Rangers also completed a Sunday sweep in the matchup of teams from St. Louis and the Dallas area. Earlier in the afternoon, the Cowboys beat the Rams 34-7 right across the parking lots. Hamilton and Lance Berkman served as honorary captains for the pregame coin toss, wearing their baseball uniforms.Many fans might remember Holland from last year's World Series. He's the reliever who came in against San Francisco, walked his first three batters and promptly got pulled.Maybe that guy was an impostor. Because this 25-year-old lefty with the sorry little mustache was completely poised, with pinpoint control. Perhaps it was the talk he got from Washington near the dugout shortly before taking the mound.Washington put both hands on Holland's shoulders and talked to him tenderly, like a dad about to send his teenage son off to college. Holland kept nodding, and Washington finished up with a playful pat to Holland's cheek."It was just a general message that he's capable of going out there and keeping us in the ballgame. That's all it was," Washington said. "I talk with Derek like that all the time, it just happened to catch me on TV."Added Holland: "He shows that he cares about all his players, and he definitely showed that when he talked to me."After that, Holland was in total command in his first Series start, and improved to 3-0 lifetime in the postseason. The only hits he allowed were by Berkman: a double in the second and a single in the fifth. Holland got even later, getting Berkman to look at a strike three that left the St. Louis star discussing the call with plate umpire Ron Kulpa.Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson kept his team close despite a wild night. He walked seven, and eventually they caught up with him.It was 1-0 when La Russa yanked Jackson after two one-out walks in the sixth and signaled for reliever Mitchell Boggs. Napoli was up, and the sellout crowd chanted his name as he stepped into the batter's box.Boggs stayed in the stretch for an extra beat while Furcal ducked behind Nelson Cruz from shortstop. When Boggs finally threw a 95 mph fastball with his first pitch, Napoli whacked it.Napoli stood at the plate for a moment as the ball sailed deep, just inside the left field line. Boggs could only contort his body, seeing the game get out of hand.Hamilton forced the Cardinals to play catch-up for the first time in a while. St. Louis had scored first in 10 straight postseason games, one shy of the record set by Detroit during a span from 1972-84.Elvis Andrus singled with one out in the Texas first and sped home when Hamilton doubled into the right field corner. The reigning AL MVP has been slowed by a strained groin, part of the reason he hasn't homered in 57 at-bats this postseason.Game notes Napoli became the first catcher to hit two homers in a Series since Mike Piazza of the Mets in 2000. ... Kinsler and St. Louis C Yadier Molina played a little game of back-and-forth in the second. Kinsler robbed Molina of an RBI single with a nice stop up the middle to end the top half. In the bottom half, Molina made a snap throw that trapped Kinsler off first base for the last out. ... Mitch Moreland batted last for Texas. It's the sixth time a starting first baseman in the World Series had hit ninth in order, four by Moreland.

Pujols belts 3 HRs as Cards take 2-1 Series lead

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Albert Pujols began the game hoping to shake his slump and maybe get a hit.He did that, and a whole lot more: He produced the defining game of his career, and perhaps the greatest hitting performance in World Series history. Pujols launched three impressive homers, drove in six runs and finished with five hits -- tying a Series record with each accomplishment -- as the St. Louis Cardinals romped past the Texas Rangers 16-7 on Saturday night for a 2-1 edge."Just pretty special," he said.The three-time NL MVP matched Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson for the most home runs in a game. Pujols added two singles and set a Series mark with 14 total bases."Hopefully, at the end of my career, I can look back and say, 'Wow, what a game it was in Game 3 in 2011,'" Pujols said.And to think, his night began with a groundout that left him 0 for 7 against Texas."I mean, with Babe and Reggie, that's pretty good company right there," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.The outburst by Pujols came a day after he was barbed by the media for not sticking around to talk about a Game 2 error and loss. This time, everyone was talking about him."When the opportunity presents itself to put him on the bag, I'm not going to let him swing the bat," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "But tonight, we just couldn't get the ball out of the middle of the plate and up, and he just didn't miss."I saw him on TV but I'll tell you, tonight was something special."The Cardinals mashed their way to the highest-scoring game in their storied postseason history, breaking away after first base umpire Ron Kulpa's admitted blown call.

Rangers rally in ninth off Motte, tie Series 1-1

ST. LOUIS -- Jason Motte stood in front of his locker in the quiet Cardinals clubhouse and said the same thing over and over: "I didn't do my job." Three outs from taking a 2-0 World Series lead to Texas, St. Louis instead finds itself tied with the Rangers at a game apiece.Motte allowed consecutive singles to open the ninth inning, and sacrifice flies by Josh Hamilton and Michael Young lifted the Rangers to a 2-1 victory Thursday night."It was almost a great story for us," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Turned out to be a greater one for them."In a virtual repeat of the opener, pinch-hitter Allen Craig put the Cardinals ahead with a seventh-inning single off Alexi Ogando.St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia allowed three hits in seven shutout innings before Fernando Salas and Marc Rzepczynski combined for a hitless eighth. But a day after Motte finished off a 3-2 win with a 1-2-3 ninth, Ian Kinsler blooped a leadoff single to left, just beyond the reach of shortstop Rafael Furcal. Kinsler then stole second, narrowly beating Yadier Molina's throw."I mean, my hand just barely got in there. It took everything I had," Kinsler said. "Yadier made an unbelievable throw, quick, on the money, and I was just able to get my hand in there."Elvis Andrus, who saved a run in the fifth with an amazing glove flip from shortstop, singled to center for his first hit in seven at-bats in the Series. Kinsler took a wide turn, then retreated to third, and Andrus advanced when Jon Jay's throw got past cutoff man Albert Pujols."It stinks. It's one of those things," Motte said. "I went out there and made a good pitch to Kinsler, and he did a good piece of hitting and got enough on it to get it out of the reach of Furcal. The next one, I threw another cutter, and it just wasn't a good pitch. It moved, came back, just stayed middle and spun up there."More than an hour after the game, the three official scorers decided to charge Pujols with an error."I should have made a better throw right there. It was the big part of the game," Jay said. "It was off-line a little bit."After making all the right moves in the opener, La Russa brought in lefty Arthur Rhodes to face Hamilton, who is hitless in 16 consecutive World Series at-bats dating to Game 3 against San Francisco last year. La Russa decided against an intentional walk. "Load the bases, that's a really difficult thing to do," La Russa said. "I don't think walking him there would have made it easier for us. I think it would have made it tougher."Hamilton, the reigning AL MVP, drove home Kinsler with a fly to right."It would have been a grounder if I would have kept it down," Rhodes said.Lance Lynn relieved, and Young hit a fly to center that scored Andrus with the go-ahead run.Motte took the loss, and Mike Adams got the win with a scoreless eighth. Neftali Feliz pitched the ninth for the save, walking Molina before striking out Nick Punto and Skip Schumaker. Furcal flied out to end it."It's baseball. That's the way this game is," Motte said. "You're going to have good days, bad days."When the Series shifts to Texas on Saturday night, Matt Harrison starts Game 3 for the Rangers against Kyle Lohse. Derek Holland goes for Texas in Game 4 on Sunday and Edwin Jackson for the Cardinals.While Pujols dropped to 0-for-6 in the Series and Matt Holliday fell to 1-for-6 (.167), David Freese sparked the Cardinals in the seventh when he singled with one out against Colby Lewis. Punto, the No. 8 batter, hit a single off the glove of Young -- who played first only 36 times during the regular season.That knocked out both starters, with Ogando coming in to face Craig for the second straight night.Craig fouled off a pitch, then lined a single to right-center that sent Freese home and energized a sellout crowd of 47,288 at Busch Stadium."Kind of deja vu," Craig said.Two innings earlier, Furcal came up with two on and two outs and hit a one-hop smash to the shortstop side of second, but Andrus ranged over to make a diving stop. From his knees on the outfield grass, he flipped the ball with his glove to Kinsler, who just beat a sliding Garcia to second base."The play was ridiculous," Kinsler said. "It doesn't get any better than that."Game notes Texas has not lost consecutive games since Aug. 23-25 at Boston and avoided a repeat of last year, when the Rangers went to San Francisco and were beaten by the Giants 11-7 and 9-0 in the first two games. The Giants went on to win the Series in five games. ... Teams winning the opener have won seven of the last eight titles, 12 of the last 14 and 19 of the last 23. Of teams that won Game 2 to even the Series, 29 of 54 have gone on to win -- but just two of the last seven, the 2002 Angels and the 2009 Yankees. ... A night after a cold, rainy opener, it was slightly warmer, with a game-time temperature of 50 degrees. ... Stan Musial, the Cardinals Hall of Famer who turns 91 next month, attended the game at Busch Stadium.

Rangers' Hamilton (groin) playing through pain

How hampered is Josh Hamilton right now? The Rangers outfielder says he's at 50 percent. Ben and Skin weigh in. More Podcasts " The Rangers said Hamilton will shift over to left field for Game 2 on Thursday night. Craig Gentry will start in center field against the St. Louis Cardinals. "It's obvious he's got discomfort but not enough to take him out of the lineup," manager Ron Washington said Thursday afternoon, adding that the injury only bothers Hamilton on check swings. Asked if Hamilton would be on the disabled list if this was the regular season, Washington paused. "I don't know," the manager said. "Maybe. Maybe not. But it's not the regular season. It's six games left." Hamilton was seen wincing during at-bats and in the field during Game 1 on Wednesday. During one at-bat, he was seen reaching for the area after an off-balance swing. After the game, Hamilton spent a lot of time in the trainer's room getting treatment and, consequently, wasn't available to speak to the media. The 2010 AL MVP has 45 postseason at-bats and is still looking for his first home run. He hasn't hit a long ball since Sept. 23, but he's still contributing in the No. 3 spot, hitting .267, with five of his 12 hits going for extra bases. "He's been battling through it basically since the end of the season," second baseman Ian Kinsler said after the Rangers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2. "The cold weather is never good. He's battled through it and he's going to do the same thing [Thursday]."

Ryan: Rangers to beat Cardinals in six games

Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan predicts Texas will beat St. Louis and win the World Series in six games. More Podcasts " "I think we'll get it done in six," Ryan said. Ryan has a knack for predicting Rangers wins. He set the goal of 92 wins in 2010, and the club got to 90 wins. He said 90 to 95 wins in 2011, and the Rangers set a club record with 96 wins.

Cruz sets HR record; Rangers return to Series

ARLINGTON, Texas -- After waiting until their 50th season to reach their first World Series, the Texas Rangers are going right back.Nelson Cruz had one more big blast, Michael Young caught the final out long after hitting a pair of doubles in one of the highest-scoring postseason innings ever and the Rangers became the American League's first repeat champion in a decade.The team that lost Cliff Lee in free agency and held onto Young after his offseason trade request finished off the Detroit Tigers with a 15-5 romp Saturday night to win the AL championship series in six games, "This a great trophy, we're real proud of it," Young said. "But we're looking forward to the one with all the flags on it. ... Happy, but not satisfied."Cruz was selected ALCS MVP after his postseason-record sixth home run of the series, and he also had a record 13 RBIs. Young hit a pair of two-run doubles in a nine-run third inning that sent the Rangers on their way to becoming the AL's first consecutive pennant winner since the New York Yankees won four in a row from 1998-01."We wanted to get to the World Series. But the bottom line is getting to the World Series and winning it. We feel pretty confident about ourselves," manager Ron Washington said. "More than anything else, the commitment they made in November after San Francisco sent us home, they held true to it."Texas will open the World Series on Wednesday night at St. Louis or Milwaukee, seeking the first title in the history of a franchise that started play in 1961. The World Series returns deep in the heart of Texas with Game 3 next Saturday night.Young, who also homered and had five RBIs in the finale, caught Brandon Inge's game-ending popout in short right field and pumped a right hand into the air signaling "No. 1" while fireworks and confetti filled the sky, then ran toward the middle of the field to celebrate with his teammates.Cruz threw both hands in the air and briefly knelt to a knee in the outfield before running to the infield for the ginger ale-spraying celebration, and a banner was unfurled high over center field declaring the Rangers 2011 AL champions. The postgame celebration included Cruz getting the AL MVP trophy."It was fun to watch," last year's AL MVP Josh Hamilton said of Cruz. "It's one thing to be in the stands. But when you're down here on the field with him, you can see the intensity, see the focus. To watch him do that was incredible."With former President George W. Bush seated in the front row alongside Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, part of the ownership group that took over the team last year, Washington was at the edge of the dugout wildly waving his arms and shouting encouragement as the big inning unfolded.All Tigers manager Jim Leyland could do was take off his cap and scratch his head as the Rangers kept reaching base off starter Max Scherzer and three relievers."He was out of whack for the most part all the way. His control was not good from the get go, really. And he had a tough time. And we just couldn't stop the bleeding," Leyland said. "As the game went on, obviously, it really wasn't fair."A franchise that began as the expansion Washington Senators and moved to Texas in 1972 had failed to reach the World Series before losing to the Giants in five games last year. The Rangers had never even won a postseason series before last season."As soon as the season began, we were hungry, we were hungry to get back," Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said.Texas overcame a 2-0 deficit by sending 14 batters to the plate against Scherzer (0-1) and three relievers in the highest-scoring postseason inning since 2002.Alexi Ogando (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings for his second win in the series.While Young became only the fourth player in postseason history with two extra-base hits in the same inning -- first a tying double into the left-field corner and then one down the right field line for a 9-2 lead -- every batter in the Texas lineup reached base at least once in the third. By the time all the fireworks was over, the Rangers scored the most runs ever in a postseason game against the Tigers and the most in any postseason contest since the Yankees routed Boston 19-8 in Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS.Also among the sellout crowd of 51,508 was Dirk Nowitzki, MVP of the NBA Finals won by the Dallas Mavericks in June.Now the Rangers get another chance to bring another championship to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.In his 11th season in Texas, Young had played in 1,508 regular-season games before finally getting into the playoffs last year. He added a huge exclamation point to his already big night when he led off the seventh with a 416-foot homer to straightaway center.His five RBIs matched the Rangers postseason record, set by Cruz in Game 2.Last winter, Young had requested a trade after the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre and acquired Mike Napoli, moves that led to Young becoming primarily a designated hitter and first baseman, a position he had never played. He had already been a starting second baseman and an All-Star at shortstop and third base.Young's two doubles came in the highest-scoring inning in a postseason game since the Angels matched a playoff record with 10 runs in the seventh inning of Game 5 during the 2002 ALCS against Minnesota.Texas' big inning started when Andrus drew a one-out walk, and Josh Hamilton blooped an opposite-field single to left. After Young tied it, Beltre hit a go-ahead single under the leg of Scherzer, who was gone after consecutive walks to Napoli and Cruz.Cruz fought back from an 0-2 count for his walk. On a checked swing on a 2-2 pitch, Scherzer and Leyland both reacted in disbelief when first base umpire Tim Welke signaled no swing. When the next pitch was ball four, Cruz flipped his bat away and quickly clapped his hands.David Murphy hit a two-run single off Daniel Schlereth, facing his only batter in his only appearance of the series. Game 4 starter Rick Porcello took over and pinch-hitter Craig Gentry reached on a fielder's choice as Murphy beat the throw to second. Ian Kinsler's two-run single made it 7-2, and Young's second double boosted the margin to 9-2.When Ryan Perry finally induced Beltre to hit an inning-ending flyout, fans roared in anticipation of a World Series berth that wouldn't be official for five more innings. Most wildly waved white rally towels, and another behind the Rangers dugout swayed a Texas state flag back-and-forth high in the air.Detroit had already avoided elimination twice this postseason, winning Game 5 of the AL division series at Yankee Stadium and then extending the ALCS with a 7-5 win at home Thursday.Derek Holland allowed solo homers to Miguel Cabrera in the first and Jhonny Peralta in the second as Detroit, seeking its first Series title since 1984, tried to force a Game 7."I don't think I've ever been prouder of a team than I am of this team," Leyland said. "They gave everything they had."Game notes Holland, who didn't make it out of the third inning in Game 2, gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 2-3 innings. He left after Austin Jackson's two-run homer in the fifth.

Cardinals take 3-2 lead, push Brewers to brink

ST. LOUIS -- The way the Milwaukee Brewers bumbled defensively, another short start didn't slow the St. Louis Cardinals.Milwaukee made four errors that led to three unearned runs, and the Cardinals' bullpen pitched brilliantly again to survive an early exit by Jaime Garcia in a 7-1 victory Friday night that gave St. Louis a 3-2 NL championship series lead.The wild-card Cardinals have two tries in Milwaukee to return to the World Series for the first time since 2006. "It's a nice win," St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said. "But we need one more."Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday had three hits each for St. Louis, which burst to a 3-0 lead in the second when Molina doubled in a run and third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. allowed Garcia's grounder to go through his legs. Holliday capped the scoring with a two-run double in the eighth.Milwaukee's infield nearly had a cycle of errors, with second baseman Rickie Weeks and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt also committing miscues along with reliever Marco Estrada."We can play better than we have," said Zack Greinke, who took the loss. "And I'm sure we will."Weeks had committed the Brewers' only two errors in the first four games of the series."It's definitely not focus," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "These games, we do have them once in a while. We had one a couple days ago. I'm confident we'll play a good game on Sunday."St. Louis can wrap up the best-of-seven series and its 18th NL pennant then. Edwin Jackson goes for the Cardinals against Shaun Marcum in a rematch of pitchers from Game 2, won by St. Louis 12-3 as neither starter received a decision."I haven't really analyzed it. I try and stay in the moment, bro," Prince Fielder said. "I'm not really looking back or forward, just trying to stay game to game. We have to win both of them, but we've got to win first." The NL winner hosts the World Series opener against Detroit or Texas on Wednesday."We're having a good series right now and, hopefully, we can do it for one more game," Molina said.Led by Jason Motte, the Cardinals' fifth closer of the season, the St. Louis bullpen is 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA in 22 2/3 innings in the series. St. Louis starters are 1-2 with a 6.04 ERA.Only one St. Louis starter has lasted long enough to qualify for a victory, with Chris Carpenter working five innings in Game 3. The previous team to have a starter not pitch into the sixth in the first five games of a postseason series was the 1984 San Diego Padres in the World Series, according to STATS LLC."We're just trying to win," Holliday said. "If the spot calls for it, our bullpen's been incredible," Holliday said. "They're really fit into roles and it's been fun to watch."The Cardinals have won 14 straight games on getaway days, a run that began on Aug. 7 at Florida. The win gave players another opportunity to chant "Happy Flight! Happy Flight!"Milwaukee had not made more than three errors in a game during the regular season, but the Brewers' sloppiness reached a near-record level. Milwaukee was one shy of the LCS record for errors in a game, shared by the 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers and 1976 New York Yankees, according to STATS LLC. "You've taken so many ground balls your whole life, you know what a ground ball is going to do," Hairston said. "And then when it just shoots down and scoots and once it hits that lip, it's just shock."Cardinals manager Tony La Russa had a quick hook once again. Garcia opened with four scoreless innings, then allowed three hits and a sacrifice in a span of four at-bats in the fifth as Corey Hart singled in a run. With two and on and two outs, Octavio Dotel relieved and struck out Braun."There's a lot of conversation about Game 1 and how quickly they put some runs on the board," La Russa said.Garcia was understanding."He's been doing this for so long and he's been so successful and he's got his reasons," the pitcher said.Dotel (1-0) struck out two in 1 1/3 hitless innings, combining with three other relievers for 4 1/3 innings of scoreless, two-hit relief. Motte got four outs for his second save of the series,"I'm just out there doing my thing," Motte said.With Milwaukee down 5-1 and trying to rally with two on and two outs in the eighth, lefty Marc Rzepczynski relieved and struck out Fielder. Against Rzepczynski, Fielder is 0 for 4 with four strikeouts and two walks."With two strikes I said I'm just going to bounce at it and see if he swing," Rzepczynski said. "And today, he did."Greinke left pitches over the plate in some key spots and allowed five runs -- just two earned -- and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with no strikeouts and two walks."I made several mistakes that ended up costing us," Greinke said. "I definitely could have done better and made it a better game."St. Louis had been hitless in 15 at-bats with runners in scoring position -- and 22 at-bats with runners on base -- before Molina's RBI double off the right-field fence. Hart just missed on a leaping attempt at the right field fence.Hairston saved at least one run at third base with a spectacular diving catch to his left on Nick Punto's low liner for the second out. But when he botched Garcia's easy grounder, St. Louis was up 3-0. Garcia's RBI groundout made it 4-0 in he fourth, the first RBI by a Cardinals pitcher in the postseason since Jeff Suppan homered in the 2006 NLCS against the Mets.Albert Pujols had an RBI single in the sixth to chase Greinke.Now it's on to Milwaukee, where the Brewers were a major league-best 57-24 at home during the regular season."They're really tough up there in their ballpark," Lance Berkman said. "It's certainly more feasible for us to have to win one of two than to win both."Game notes Braun doubled in the first and has reached base safely in the opening inning of nine straight games, going 7 for 7 with a walk and hit by pitch. He has 22 hits in the postseason, matching the franchise record by Paul Molitor and Robin Yount. ... Chuck Berry, a St. Louis musical icon, performed the national anthem with his daughter, Ingrid. Wearing his trademark sailor's cap and a No. 84 Cardinals jersey (his age), Berry mostly watched and threw in occasional harmony. ... Cardinals Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith threw a one-hop first pitch with injured St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright on the receiving end for the third straight night.

Verlander, Tigers top Rangers, avoid elimination

DETROIT -- One moment, Justin Verlander and the Tigers were on the verge of watching their season slip away.After a double play and a lucky bounce, they were headed back to Texas. Verlander helped save Detroit's season with a gutsy effort and the Tigers hit for a sudden cycle to break away in a 7-5 victory Thursday that cut the Rangers' lead to 3-2 in the AL championship series.Delmon Young hit two of Detroit's four homers and Miguel Cabrera had a tiebreaking double in the sixth inning -- thanks to a bizarre bounce off third base."I have that bag in my office right now. And that will be in my memorabilia room at some point in my life, I can promise you," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.After building a five-run cushion, Detroit held on despite Nelson Cruz's record fifth home run of the series. With closer Jose Valverde unavailable for the Tigers, Texas cut it to 7-5 in the ninth and had Cruz on deck when Phil Coke retired Mike Napoli on a game-ending groundout with two runners on.Coke got five outs for his first career postseason save."Cokie came through for us," Leyland said. "A little different situation for him obviously, but he was up to the challenge."The Rangers get another chance to reach the World Series for the second straight season in Game 6 Saturday night at home. Derek Holland will start for Texas against Max Scherzer.A swift turn of events in the sixth helped Detroit pull ahead. The Tigers turned a bases-loaded double play to keep the score tied at 2, then opened the bottom half with a single, double, triple and homer -- in order -- to take a 6-2 lead.It was the first time four consecutive batters on one team hit for a "natural" cycle in a postseason game, according to STATS LLC. The Rangers were the ones who seemed on the verge of breaking the game open in the sixth, loading the bases with one out. But then Ian Kinsler hit a grounder right to third baseman Brandon Inge, who merely had to step on the bag and throw to first for a double play."We had him right there in the sixth. He got out of it," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "We missed a home run by inches, and they opened the game up by inches. Got a groundball double play, hits the bag, and from that point on, you know, boom, bam. Put up four runs."Ryan Raburn led off the bottom half with a single, and what looked to be a routine grounder by Cabrera bounced high off third base and down the line, putting Detroit ahead 3-2."We were lucky, but we need lucky times right now," Cabrera said. "Hopefully we're lucky Saturday."Victor Martinez followed with a rare triple down the right-field line, scoring another run, and Young added a two-run homer.Raburn homered in the seventh to make it 7-2.After using Valverde and Joaquin Benoit for three straight days, Leyland announced before Game 5 that neither reliever would be available. He was hoping to make it through the day with just Verlander and Coke, and that's exactly what happened."Well, it's what we said before the game. So it gave everybody a chance to get all their second-guessing ready about it," Leyland said. "That's just the way it had to be today. We talked about it before the game and we did exactly what we felt we had to do to give ourselves any chance to win the series." Verlander allowed four runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings, throwing a career-high 133 pitches. He struck out eight and walked three."I want the ball. I want to go as deep as possible," Verlander said. "It was a battle for me, all night."Verlander reached 100 mph on the stadium radar gun with pitch No. 133. Cruz, however, caught up to that fastball and sent it down the left-field line for a two-run homer, chasing Verlander and setting a record for homers in a league championship series."He struck me out twice with curveballs, so I was glad he threw me a fastball, even if it was 100 (mph)," Cruz said. "I think I might have had streaks like this in the minors, maybe, but I've never hit this many homers this fast in the majors."Cruz became the fifth player to hit five homers in a postseason series. Reggie Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr., Juan Gonzalez and Chase Utley were the others.Verlander left the game after Cruz's homer, raising his glove to acknowledge the cheering fans."I don't like to do that in the middle of a ballgame, but when they show their support that way, you can't help but give them a little tip of the cap or a wave or something," Verlander said. "They've been tremendous all year."After winning 24 games and leading the American League in ERA and strikeouts, Verlander hadn't had much of a chance to shine this postseason. Two of his first three playoff starts were ended early by rain delays.He didn't have to worry about that Thursday. Game 5 began under a cloudy sky with the sun peeking through over Comerica Park, and the threatening sky later didn't amount to anything until a misty rain began to fall over the field -- after the game was over.This time, the Rangers were Verlander's biggest obstacle. With two strikes on Kinsler in the first, Verlander went to his sweeping breaking ball, and the Texas second baseman pulled it to left field for a double. After going to third on a groundout by Elvis Andrus, Kinsler came home on Josh Hamilton's sacrifice fly to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead."I kind of haven't had my rhythm," Verlander said.Texas starter C.J. Wilson was sharp at the start, retiring his first seven batters.Alex Avila tied it with an opposite-field homer to left in the third. The Detroit catcher has taken a beating behind the plate all year and has had a miserable postseason, going 2 of 33 before the homer.Young was actually left off Detroit's ALCS roster because of an injury, but he returned before Game 2 after Magglio Ordonez re-fractured his ankle. Young's homer over the fence in left-center gave Detroit a 2-1 lead in the fourth.Hamilton's RBI single in the fifth tied the game at 2."This has been a tremendous, tremendous series in my opinion," Leyland said.Wilson, a left-hander who has struggled in three playoff starts this year, was done in by Detroit's rally in the sixth and came out after that inning. He allowed six runs and eight hits, striking out five and walking two.With two outs in the ninth, Hamilton doubled and Michael Young drove him home with a single that made it 7-5. After a walk to Adrian Beltre, Napoli grounded into a forceout, sending the series back to Texas."The Detroit Tigers are here for a reason. Tonight their backs were against the wall. They did what they had to do -- catching a break included," Washington said. "Now we go home. We still feel good about ourselves."Game notes According to STATS, the last pitcher to throw 133 pitches in the playoffs was Mark Prior of the Chicago Cubs, who threw the same number in a 2003 NL division series game against Atlanta. ... Delmon Young has five homers in the AL playoffs. He hit three during the division series against the New York Yankees. ... Avila hit only three of his 19 homers during the regular season off left-handers. ... There were a few empty seats visible when the teams took the field for the late-afternoon start.

Bullpen picks up Carpenter as Cards lead NLCS

ST. LOUIS -- Chris Carpenter needed a pick-me-up in the worst way. A bullpen that just sat back and watched the last time the St. Louis Cardinals ace pitched was ready for extended duty.Albert Pujols hit an RBI double off Yovani Gallardo during a four-run first inning and four St. Louis relievers combined for four perfect innings Wednesday night for a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and a 2-1 edge in the NL championship series. Suddenly, the wild-card Cardinals are front-runners. And against the team that put them away early en route to the NL Central title."I think our ballclub, no matter leading or behind, it doesn't really matter to be honest with you," Carpenter said. "We have battled for the last two months or however long it's been."We have nothing to lose."The Brewers have lost eight in a row on the road in the postseason, a stretch that extends to Game 1 of the 1982 World Series in St. Louis on a shutout by Mike Caldwell. It's the longest current streak in the majors."I think regardless of whether we're winning or losing the series, we recognize what's at stake," Brewers star Ryan Braun said. "We're going to prepare ourselves just like we've been doing and expect to win tomorrow and hopefully get off to a good start."In a matchup of star pitchers, neither starter made it past the fifth inning. Gallardo tied an NLCS record with three wild pitches, while the one-run lead Carpenter handed over to the relievers was just enough to put the Cardinals ahead in the best-of-seven series.It was a game played in a steady drizzle but with no squirrel sightings -- at least not on the field. In the previous playoff game at Busch Stadium, a squirrel scampered across home plate while the Cardinals were hitting. The careening critter quickly became a favorite in St. Louis as the Rally Squirrel. The Cardinals' marketing department capitalized, too, giving away 40,000 rally towels with a squirrel theme, telling fans to "Go Nuts" on the video board and dressing up someone in a squirrel costume to entertain the fans between innings.There was at least one squirrel sighting in the stands. One rodent got stuck underneath a vendor's station just outside the press box before the game, leaping to safety and up the steps to the upper deck after a worker opened a side compartment.Kyle Lohse, pitching on 12 days' rest, starts Game 4 Thursday for the wild-card Cardinals against Randy Wolf."You never know how it's going to work out," Carpenter said. "That's what's so fun about this game and that's what's so fun about pitching. Our guys did a fabulous job."Fernando Salas, Lance Lynn, Marc Rzepczynski and Jason Motte shut down the Brewers to close out the victory. Motte, who had two saves lasting more than inning in September and another in the first round of the playoffs against Philadelphia, got four outs for this save and fanned pinch hitter Casey McGehee to end it."We've won games in several ways," Cardinals outfielder Lance Berkman said. "Tonight's was the bullpen's night to shine."Carpenter won his seventh postseason game to tie Bob Gibson's franchise record, but with none of the brilliance of his three-hit shutout over Roy Halladay and the favored Phillies in the deciding game of the division series. He lasted only five innings, with nearly half of his 89 pitches for balls. The starters' ineffectiveness was surprising considering their track records.Carpenter has been clutch throughout his career in the postseason, going 7-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 12 games. Gallardo allowed only two runs in 21 innings, a minuscule 0.86 ERA, before Game 3.The Cardinals have scored in the first inning in their last five games, and batted around against Gallardo in the first. Pujols delivered an RBI double after starring in a Game 2 win with a home run and three doubles, and then singled in the second to give him six hits in a stretch of seven at-bats.St. Louis had its chances to break away later, but hit into three double plays and stranded nine runners. The Cardinals broke their own National League record for double plays this season.Mark Kotsay started ahead of slumping Nyjer Morgan and homered for the Brewers. Yuniesky Betancourt had two singles and an RBI and Gallardo, a .221 hitter with a homer and four RBIs, had a sacrifice fly in the second.Jon Jay and David Freese added RBI doubles in the first for St. Louis, which was 3 for 4 with runners in scoring position to start the game but 0 for 7 the rest of the way.Gallardo, who's 1-7 with a 5.66 career mark against the Cardinals, trailed 2-0 after his first 12 pitches and barely made it out of the first trailing 4-0. The right-hander walked three, one of them intentional, and the Brewers had Chris Narveson up in the bullpen before Yadier Molina grounded into a double play, scoring the fourth run, for his first outs.Gallardo trudged to the dugout after his 33-pitch ordeal. He was looking forward to another chance at St. Louis."Yeah, I mean, of course," Gallardo said. "I look forward to it. I can't wait and hopefully we'll get another shot at it."Luckily for the Brewers, Carpenter didn't have his "A" game, either. By the third, the lead was down to one run. The Cardinals' ace walked none in his brilliant three-hit shutout in Game 5 of the NLDS, but had a walk and a hit batsman in the Brewers' first three plate appearances.Carpenter escaped with help from Kotsay, who strayed too far off second on Prince Fielder's lineout to center and was doubled off the bag by Jay's strong throw to end the inning. But Carpenter didn't look comfortable in the second or third, either.The Brewers opened the second with three straight singles with Betancourt getting the RBI. Gallardo, who batted .221 with a homer and four RBIs this season, added a sacrifice fly that cut the deficit to 4-2.Kotsay got a spot start, partly because he's 4 for 11 against Carpenter. Kotsay hit his second career postseason homer leading off the third. Morgan flied out to start the seventh as a pinch hitter and was roundly booed throughout the at-bat.Kotsay just missed a diving catch on Jay's bloop double to left-center in the first, a play manager Ron Roenicke said Carlos Gomez would have made. But Roenicke said Gomez was never a consideration for the lineup.Game notes Hall of Famer Stan Musial made a pregame appearance at home plate via golf cart, accompanied to music from "The Natural," and was flanked by fellow Cardinals Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Red Schoendienst. ... Two stars from the Cardinals' 2006 World Series title team collaborated on the first pitch. Jeff Suppan, the NLCS MVP that year, threw to injured pitcher Adam Wainwright, who got the last out of the '06 NLCS when he froze the Mets' Carlos Beltran for a called third strike. Suppan played his last seven seasons with the Cardinals and Brewers. ... Pujols has 16 postseason walks, moving past Jim Edmonds for the franchise record. ... Betancourt singled his first two trips and had been on a 10-for-18 run before a flyout in the sixth. ... Braun has hit in seven of eight postseason games this season, going 14 for 29 (.483) with two homers and eight RBIs.

Pujols, Cards batter Brewers to knot NLCS at 1

MILWAUKEE -- Leave "Beast Mode" to the guys on the other team. Albert Pujols was just a monster.The St. Louis slugger had one of the biggest postseason nights of his career in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series, going 4 for 5 with a home run, three doubles and five RBIs to lead the Cardinals past the Milwaukee Brewers 12-3 on Monday.Pujols belted a two-run homer in the first, a two-run double in the third and an RBI double in the fifth, then added another double in the seventh. The crowd cheered sarcastically when the Brewers finally retired him in the eighth. "Sometimes when they come, they come in a bunch," Pujols said.His big hits came one night after Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder bashed the Brewers to a 9-6, come-from-behind victory in Game 1.This time, the big bats couldn't bring Milwaukee back -- even at Miller Park. Milwaukee was the best home team in the majors all season and the Brewers had won all four home games in the playoffs until Monday.The Cardinals' commanding victory temporarily silenced the boisterous Brewers and their trademark "Beast Mode" celebration gesture."It wasn't joyful," Fielder said. "You've just got to deal with it and move on."The series now shifts to St. Louis, where Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter faces Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo in Game 3 on Wednesday night."Our attitude was we've got to win a game to make it a series," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said.Pujols can become a free agent after the World Series, so a big postseason could raise his price. The three-time NL MVP was 1 for 4 in Sunday night's loss, hitting into a double play with runners on first and third in the seventh inning. A run scored on the play, but it seemed to be an indication that Pujols wasn't quite on his game. He came into Monday with only one RBI in the Cardinals' first six postseason games."You learn from the mistakes that you made," Pujols said. "Yesterday was just so tough. Going to bed, I was just thinking about some of the opportunities I had to help our ballclub win. I turned that page, knowing today was a new day." Brewers manager Ron Roenicke, of course, has seen such things from Pujols before."The last time we saw them at their place he was swinging the bat just like this," Roenicke said. "You can't make mistakes to him. You have to hit spots. You have to keep it down in the zone. He doesn't miss too many mistakes."Rickie Weeks hit a two-run homer in the fourth for Milwaukee, then was involved in a disputed play in the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Weeks grounded into a double play, though replays showed he was safe.Weeks -- hobbled by the lingering effects of a midseason left ankle injury -- appeared to beat the throw to first base and seemed upset when he was called out."Big part in the game, whether he's safe or out," Roenicke said. "You guys saw the replay. That was a big play."But it didn't matter much after the Brewers gave up four runs in a backbreaking seventh inning. Fielder homered in the eighth, well after the outcome had been decided.Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson went 4 1/3 innings, giving up Weeks' home run. Lance Lynn got the win.It was a short and ugly start by Milwaukee's Shaun Marcum, who gave up five runs on seven hits in four innings and took the loss. Marcum, obtained in an offseason trade with Toronto, struggled mightily in the final month of the season. After a rough outing in Game 3 of the NL Division Series against Arizona, his place in the Brewers' postseason rotation might come into question."We'll see how it goes," Roenicke said, adding later: "As far as I'm concerned right now he's pitching again."St. Louis got started early when Jon Jay bunted for a one-out hit in the first. Pujols came to the plate and delivered what amounted to a warning shot, hitting a long fly just foul. Then he zeroed in on Marcum's offering, smacking it to left field for a home run.Pujols stood at the plate and admired his shot for a moment, flipped his bat away and trotted around the bases."He's a great offensive player. He's a heads-up defensive player. He's a heads-up baserunner. This is a great baseball player," Roenicke said.St. Louis added two more runs in the third. Jackson's single fell in when center fielder Nyjer Morgan got a bad break on the ball, tried to make a diving catch and then dropped it. With one out, Jay sneaked a single down the third-base line, again setting the stage for Pujols.Pujols hammered a pitch deep to center, Morgan missed a chance at what would have been an acrobatic catch, and two runs scored to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead. Pujols pointed to the sky upon arriving at second base, then clapped his hands."Heck, you know at some point he's going to assert himself," teammate Lance Berkman said. "Certainly tonight that was the case. He got some good pitches to hit and he crushed them."The Cardinals added another run in the fourth. Yadier Molina doubled, advanced on a groundout and scored when Nick Punto dribbled a single up the middle with the infield in to give St. Louis a 5-0 lead.Milwaukee finally got to Jackson in the fourth, when Fielder led off with a double and Weeks hit a two-run shot to left to cut the Cardinals' lead to 5-2. A one-out single by Yuniesky Betancourt threatened to keep the rally going, but Jonathan Lucroy grounded into a forceout and Casey McGehee tapped back to the pitcher to end the inning.Brewers reliever Marco Estrada took over in the fifth, but the Cardinals kept on swinging.Jay led off with a double and Pujols laced a ball into the gap in right-center for an RBI double. Pujols advanced to third on a groundout, then scored when a ball slipped through Lucroy's legs for a wild pitch. Lucroy found the ball and made a quick throw to Estrada at the plate, but it wasn't in time."The bullpen didn't do so well, either," Roenicke said. "We didn't pitch well today."Game notes Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers attended the game, getting a huge cheer from the crowd when he was shown on the stadium video board in the middle of the second inning. Rodgers has developed a friendship with Braun. ... A foul popup dropped between Pujols and Molina in the second inning, leaving them staring blankly at each other. ... Attendance was 43,937.

Braun, Brewers bash Cards for Game 1 victory

MILWAUKEE -- Even before the first pitch, the Milwaukee Brewers took a swing at the St. Louis Cardinals.Come Sunday, the Brewers swapped their barbs for bats -- and just kept bashing.Needing a comeback in the NL championship series opener, Milwaukee turned to its power duo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, then got a clutch hit from Yuniesky Betancourt to beat the Cardinals 9-6.The Brewers celebrated wildly as the big hits came during a rapid-fire rally. "It's the playoffs, bro," Fielder said. "You've got to let it all out."Braun launched a two-run, 463-foot homer in the first inning and added a two-run double during a six-run burst in the fifth. Fielder hit a two-run homer and the typically light-hitting Betancourt added a two-run homer to cap it.The midgame turnaround came so fast that the crowd wasn't done cheering Braun's big hit when Fielder went deep."I don't even know if I heard the ball come off Prince's bat," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "I knew it was a good swing and came off nice, but when you can't hear the ball, the sound of it, because of all the people yelling. I wasn't sure what was going to happen there until I saw the ball flight."At least for one game, the bitter NL Central rivals avoided any on-field confrontations in their first postseason matchup since the 1982 World Series.That's despite an already tense atmosphere that gained some steam when Brewers starter Zack Greinke let it slip on Saturday that some of his teammates don't like the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter -- a comment that drew a stern rebuke from Cardinals manager Tony La Russa.Greinke hinted that he heard a few comments from the Cardinals' dugout Sunday, but he said it was nothing out of the ordinary."They're yelling from the dugout some, but most teams do that," Greinke said. "Everyone always makes fun of me grunting when I throw a fastball. It's kind of funny sometimes, but no big deal."The atmosphere was tense even before the first pitch, as La Russa was showered with boos during pregame introductions. He calmly tipped his cap to the crowd.La Russa said afterward that he hoped the tension wouldn't overshadow the competition -- although he said he had a sense that some fans and media members would be disappointed if there aren't any repeats of the on-field confrontations the teams have had in the recent past."I don't want our players and their players to be egged on, and I don't think they will," La Russa said. "We're going to play as hard and good against each other as we can."Greinke struggled at times, but reliever Takashi Saito got Cardinals star Albert Pujols to ground into a key double play in the seventh. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a hitless eighth and closer John Axford threw a hitless ninth for a save. Game 2 is at Miller Park on Monday night. Shaun Marcum starts for the Brewers against Edwin Jackson."We'll come back out," Cardinals star Lance Berkman said. "The same thing happened to us in the first game against Philly. We were able to regroup."David Freese hit a three-run homer off Greinke in the fourth, and the Cardinals led 5-2 in the fifth.But Milwaukee made it tough on Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia, who left after giving up Fielder's homer. Garcia, who hit Fielder with a pitch earlier in the game, gave up six runs and six hits in four-plus innings with three walks. He took the loss.Greinke earned the win despite his uneven outing, giving up six runs and eight hits in six-plus innings. He left the game to a standing ovation after giving up a leadoff single to Rafael Furcal in the seventh.The Cardinals took a three-run lead into the fifth before Garcia allowed a leadoff single to Corey Hart and a double to Jerry Hairston Jr. Braun hit a two-run, ground-rule double to right and with the crowd still saluting him, Fielder hit the first pitch from Garcia deep to right for a two-run homer, giving the Brewers the lead.Fielder then showed off his repertoire of celebrations, giving the team's "Beast Mode" gesture upon his arrival at home plate and exchanging mock knockout blows with Braun as he trotted back to the dugout.That was it for Garcia, who left with no outs in the fifth and his team down 6-5. It that wasn't the end of trouble for the Cardinals, though.Reliever Octavio Dotel fielded Rickie Weeks' grounder and threw the ball away, allowing Weeks to go to second on the error.Betancourt -- who batted .252 in the regular season with 13 homers -- then sent a 2-1 pitch from Dotel deep to left, where it flew into the Brewers' bullpen and was fielded on the fly by Milwaukee bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel. Hanel pumped his fist, Betancourt circled the bases and the crowd continued its inning-long eruption.Betancourt has taken plenty of criticism this season, but might be among the rare group of athletes who say they don't pay attention to the critics and actually mean it. Through an interpreter, Betancourt said he manages to avoid criticism because he doesn't speak much English."I don't really pay attention to what the critics say," Betancourt said.With the score 8-5, Pujols came to the plate with runners on first and third and no outs in the seventh. Pujols broke his bat on a double-play grounder -- a run scored, but the Brewers had limited the damage.Betancourt doubled in the seventh and scored on a single by Jonathan Lucroy.Axford sported a heavily bandaged right forearm in the clubhouse after being hit by Jon Jay's liner on the final play of Sunday's 9-6 victory. X-rays taken afterward were negative."Everything is good," he said.The Brewers and Cardinals split an 18-game series evenly this season, a sign of what has been one of baseball's most intense rivalries in recent years. The Cardinals' success against the Brewers in the final month of the season was one of the main reasons they climbed back into playoff contention.St. Louis won six of its last seven games against Milwaukee, including a three-game sweep at Miller Park.The animosity between the two teams spilled into this week, when Greinke told reporters Saturday that some of his teammates don't like Carpenter because of his "phony attitude."La Russa said he got an umpire's warning after Garcia hit Fielder with a pitch in the first inning, right after Braun's homer. But the Brewers said they didn't think the pitch was intentional, and La Russa said the team's recent history probably affects the umpires' attitudes."I certainly can't fault the umpire," La Russa said. "But, you know, you can't go out and argue those things, or you get thrown out. I didn't say anything. What I would have said is, if you watched the way Jaime pitched that whole inning, every fastball he threw was in that same area, out away from the right hander or in on Fielder. They just looked bad, but he was just trying to get the ball somewhere near the glove."Game notes Jackson struggled in his first outing with the Cardinals against the Brewers, giving up 10 runs (eight earned) in seven innings at Milwaukee Aug. 3. But he was better in two subsequent starts against the Brewers, allowing four runs (three earned) in 13 innings. ... Marcum is coming off a rough outing in the Brewers' Game 3 NL division series loss at Arizona, giving up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Cruz's homer gives Rangers Game 1 of ALCS

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A few minutes past midnight, the Texas Rangers had one more victory over Justin Verlander -- and the Detroit Tigers lost yet another wet playoff opener started by their ace."If anywhere in the country has a drought, just bring me in and I'll fix that," Verlander said after the Rangers beat him 3-2 Saturday night in Game 1 of the AL championship series opener.Before the game was interrupted twice by rain for a total of 1 hour, 50 minutes in the top of the fifth inning, Nelson Cruz broke a postseason slump with a home run and the defending AL champions scored all of their runs off Verlander. His final pitch came long before the last out was made at 12:03 a.m. CDT. "He's throwing 100 miles an hour. You're just up there battling against a guy like that," David Murphy said. "We didn't have a lot of hits against him, but our at-bats were awesome. We were having five-, six-, seven-pitch at bats. We got hits when we needed to, and the bullpen made it stand up."Murphy had an RBI triple and scored on Ian Kinsler's single in the second, and Cruz had a leadoff homer in the fourth for a 3-0 lead.Texas faced Verlander only once during the regular season, a 2-0 Rangers' win on April 11 when Verlander lost despite pitching a six-hitter.The likely AL Cy Young Award winner was 24-5 during the regular and had been 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three previous career starts at hitter-friendly Rangers Ballpark, allowing three runs in 21 innings. Texas matched that run total in four innings when it counted most."I just didn't have it. My location wasn't very good at all," Verlander said."He didn't really have his curveball going for strikes," manager Jim Leyland said. "He had a tough time with it. I think probably trying to overthrow it a little bit."In between the delays, Austin Jackson doubled in a run and scored on a wild pitch by Rangers starter C.J. Wilson. Alexi Ogando, who got all three of the Rangers' regular-season wins over Detroit this year, pitched two scoreless innings for the victory. Neftali Feliz, clocked at up to 101 mph, worked the ninth for his fourth save this postseason.Game 2 is Sunday night. Derek Holland starts for Texas against Max Scherzer, who pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief for the Tigers in their AL division series clincher Thursday night against the New York Yankees.Verlander threw one inning and 25 pitches in the division series opener at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 30 when that game was suspended by rain. Under a rules change adopted two years ago, postseason games are suspended when called instead of being cut short or wiped out.Verlander came back and started Game 3, winning as he threw 120 pitches with 11 strikeouts over eight innings.He threw 82 pitches in four innings against the Rangers before the first delay. He struck out five, including Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre in the first without allowing a run after his only two walks.Leyland planned for Verlander to stay in after the first delay. That changed during the second delay, which lasted 1:09."That was a no brainer," Leyland said. "I think that this was a little bit of a weird night, obviously."Cruz was in an 0-for-10 postseason slump before his drive to left for his Rangers-record seventh postseason homer, one more than two-time AL MVP Juan Gonzalez."Definitely important to get it going," Cruz said. "As soon as I hit the homer, I thought it should be good enough, the way C.J. was throwing."Mike Napoli had a leadoff single in the second for the Rangers, in their second consecutive ALCS after never winning a postseason series before last year. He scored when Murphy got the head of his bat on a low pitch and pulled it into the right-center gap, where the ball one-hopped the wall.But before the fifth inning, Rangers Ballpark groundskeeper Dennis Klein went out and spoke with plate umpire Tim Welke about the weather.After Ramon Santiago led off the fifth with a double and while Brandon Inge was batting with a 1-0 count against Wilson, play was stopped for 41 minutes. When the game resumed, the teams got only 13 minutes in before the tarp came out again.The rain delays were the first at Rangers Ballpark since May 24. This season was played during one of the hottest and driest summers ever in North Texas, including 27 games when the temperature was 100 degrees or more at first pitch.Wilson, who had thrown 72 pitches before the first delay, made 24 more during the short resumption.On the first pitch after play resumed, Inge grounded out. Jackson followed with a double that rolled into a puddle by the wall in right-center field and scored Santiago. Jackson eventually scored on a wild pitch while Wilson loaded the bases on three walks before heavy rain started falling again.Michael Gonzalez replaced Wilson after the second delay and needed only two pitches to induce an inning-ending groundout by Alex Avila.Ogando, a reliever-turned-starter back in the bullpen in the playoffs, struck out three over the sixth and seventh innings."What a weapon to have," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.Santiago led off the ninth with a bunt single before Feliz struck out the next three batters.Rick Porcello, Detroit's scheduled Game 4 starter, had two scoreless innings after replacing Verlander. Leyland said the Tigers could alter their planned rotation.Wilson escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first when Magglio Ordonez hit a chopper over third base. Adrian Beltre stepped on the bag and threw across the diamond for an inning-ending double play."C.J. made a great pitch on Magglio, cut a fastball in," Leyland said. "That was obviously a huge inning. The ninth inning we always talk about, but tonight's game might have been the first."Game notes This was the ninth one-run game already in this postseason, the most since there were 11 two years ago, according to STATS LLC. ... Jackson, who was born and still lives in nearby Denton, had a tough start. After striking out on three pitches opening the game, he struggled with a wind-blown flyball in the bottom of the first. He went back, came in a few steps and the ball hit off the heel of Jackson's glove as Elvis Andrus reached second on the error.

Morgan lifts Brewers past D-backs, into NLCS

MILWAUKEE -- Nyjer Morgan denounced his "haters." He suggested he might celebrate by taking a nice, relaxing bath. Then he erupted with a cackle.All while wearing a helmet in his postgame news conference. After delivering an RBI single in the 10th inning to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 Friday in Game 5 and send the Milwaukee Brewers to the NL championship series, Morgan was taking it all in and letting his oversized, oddball personality out."It's a lot, man," Morgan said. "Basically just everything that I've had to overcome, just the stuff that people go out there and perceive about me, everything. Just all my haters. I just wanted to show them that I can play this game, even though I have a fun, bubbly personality. I still come to win, and I'm a winner."The Brewers would expect nothing less from their rabble-rousing, run-producing force who often refers to himself by the name of his self-created alter ego, "Tony Plush." Morgan might have worn out his welcome with other teams, but he's winning over the Brewers and their fans."He's a joy to have, I'll tell you," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "I don't care about all the little issues we have. This guy, I love him on this team. I like him as a really nice young man. He came through big, again, when we needed him."Next, the Brewers face NL Central nemesis St. Louis after the wild-card Cardinals beat Philadelphia 1-0 in Game 5 of their series Friday night. Milwaukee will open at home against St. Louis on Sunday. With the game tied at 2 in the 10th and Carlos Gomez on second base with one out, Morgan hit a grounder up the middle and Diamondbacks closer J.J. Putz tried in vain to stop it with his leg. The ball went into center field and Gomez sailed across home plate as a wild throw home went awry.Gomez was surprised when one of the first people to greet him on the field at raucous Miller Park was Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio. "You have to be smart," Gomez said. "You have to get to the boss first, and then your teammates."Morgan was mobbed by the Brewers near the mound after the latest dramatic finish for baseball's best home team gave Milwaukee its first victory in a postseason series since it won the AL pennant in 1982."We've heard all about 1982, so it's nice to start our own legacy," slugger Ryan Braun said.Next, the Brewers move on to face the St. Louis Cardinals. The NLCS begins Sunday, with the Brewers opening at home.Arizona did all it could to extend its surprising season. Center fielder Chris Young made a jaw-dropping catch in the sixth and the Diamondbacks had one last comeback left in the ninth."I'm not ready to go home yet," Young said. "I'm not hanging my head because I think we could have done anything different. I'm hanging my head just because I want to keep playing and I don't want the season to be over yet."Willie Bloomquist drove in the tying run with a safety squeeze, but Arizona was unable to forge ahead against closer John Axford."This was a great baseball game today. I'm not happy to be on this end of it. Yet I'm proud of my team and they played true to the way they played all year," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said."And the Brewers, they cashed in on their opportunities, what can we say? We had tons of opportunities."Morgan was a critical addition for the Brewers this year and had several clutch hits, winning fans along the way."Nyjer got the biggest hit of his life, one of the biggest hits in Brewers history," Braun said. "We're all proud, man. It's pretty cool."But Morgan wasn't having a particularly productive series until his big moment in the deciding game -- although he bristled at the suggestion that he was struggling."What struggles?" Morgan said. "It's baseball, man."Afterward, the Brewers spent more than an hour celebrating with thousands of Miller Park fans who stuck around. Attanasio ran out onto the field immediately after Morgan's game-winning hit and grabbed Gomez."I've never done that," the owner said. "I was so excited. I could not contain myself."Then, the principal owner who bought the team from the Selig family in September 2004, continued to party by high-fiving fans while standing on top of the first-base dugout."It's emotional, man," Prince Fielder said. "You just feel the work and everything. Everything is paying off."The party continued for even the youngest Brewers.The sons of Fielder, Yovani Gallardo and Corey Hart all pumped up the crowd, waving their arms for more noise before doing the "Beast Mode" celebration that the Brewers have rallied around.The scene was similar exactly two weeks earlier when Milwaukee captured its first division title since winning the AL East in 1982.That was also the last time Milwaukee won a round in the postseason, when it captured the American League pennant before losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.With a 2-1 lead and their tough 1-2 bullpen combination of Francisco Rodriguez and Axford lined up for the eighth and ninth Friday, the Brewers appeared to have their ticket punched to the NLCS.But the Diamondbacks had the most comeback victories in the majors this season (48) and weren't about to go away easily.They nearly got the best of Rodriguez in the eighth. He loaded the bases with two outs for Ryan Roberts, one of two Diamondbacks players to hit a grand slam in the series. But Rodriguez got Roberts to ground into a forceout at second base, ending the threat.Axford pitched the ninth, allowing a leadoff double to Gerardo Parra. The reliever nearly hit Sean Burroughs with a pitch, then Burroughs blooped a single to put runners on first and third.Bloomquist pushed a bunt to the right side and Fielder nearly collided with Axford while fielding the ball. Fielder stumbled and was unable to get off a throw to the plate as the tying run scored.Justin Upton grounded into a forceout at second and Henry Blanco hit a grounder to shortstop. Yuniesky Betancourt fielded the ball and barely beat Upton to second base to end the inning -- although Betancourt paid for it, getting spiked in the leg.Axford ended the regular season with 43 straight saves, and saved Game 1 of the series. He had not blown a save chance since April 18 at Philadelphia.Gallardo gave up one run in six innings. The right-hander threw 112 pitches, allowing six hits while walking two and striking out five.Axford got the win despite a rough outing. Putz took the loss."We've had great comebacks all year. Unfortunately tonight, we weren't able to finish it off," Gibson said.After finally edging Arizona, the Brewers sprayed bubbly in the clubhouse and waited to find out who their next opponent would be. The Cardinals' win meant the first game of the NL championship series will be Sunday at Miller Park."I think we've done all our celebrating," Roenicke said. "I know I have. So, yeah, I'll sit back and watch what's going on with those games to see if we're staying here or we're going on the road tomorrow."Game notes Despite 78-degree temperatures and sunny conditions at game time, the retractable roof to Miller Park was closed. Both managers said before the game that they didn't care whether the roof was open or closed, although Roenicke said he didn't mind having similar conditions to the previous games in the series. ... Upton's home run was his second in the series. ... Attendance was 44,028, a sellout.

Long ball lifts D-backs past Brewers, to Game 5

PHOENIX -- Counted out by most everyone else, the Arizona Diamondbacks are in position to complete another comeback. And this one could be the greatest of the bunch.Ryan Roberts hit a grand slam, Chris Young had the first two-homer game in Arizona's postseason history and Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers 10-6 Wednesday night to force Game 5 in the NL division series. "We're not going to give up, even when we're down 2-0," said Young, who drove in three runs. "In the clubhouse, we still believed we could do it. At the time our goal was to get back to Milwaukee. We've reached that, so it's a toss-up now. We're going to be ready to go."A day after rolling over the Brewers 8-1, the Diamondbacks struck quickly and often in Game 4, scoring five runs in the first inning off Randy Wolf. The Diamondbacks became the second team -- with the 1977 Dodgers -- to hit grand slams in consecutive playoff games.Arizona evened the series at 2-all and sent it back to Milwaukee for the decisive game Friday. It will be a rematch of Game 1 between 21-game winner Ian Kennedy of the Diamondbacks and fellow right-hander Yovani Gallardo.Written off by many after being outscored 13-5 in the first two games, baseball's best rally team -- 48 comeback wins during the regular season -- has put itself in position to become just the eighth team overall to win a best-of-five series after trailing 0-2."We had confidence all year, we had confidence when we were down 0-2," Roberts said. "Anything can happen, that's why you play this set of five."Aaron Hill hit a solo shot for Arizona's first four-homer game in the postseason. Pinch hitter Collin Cowgill added a two-run single and the bullpen held on after a less-than-crisp outing by starter Joe Saunders, preventing Milwaukee from winning a postseason series for the first time since reaching the 1982 World Series.Of the four opening-round playoff series, three are going to Game 5. Detroit visits the New York Yankees on Thursday night and St. Louis is at Philadelphia on Friday night. The only other time a trio of division matchups went the distance was 2001, the year Arizona won the World Series. "This team is resilient," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "We're going to play hard and I expect this team to have a real good game on Friday."The NL West champion Diamondbacks punctuated their worst-to-first finish with grand slams in their final two home games of the regular season, then kept slamming 'em at Chase Field in the playoffs.Paul Goldschmidt was the star in Game 3, becoming the third rookie ever to hit a grand slam in the playoffs. He had the crowd buzzing when he strode to the plate against Wolf with the bases loaded in the first inning. He couldn't come, through; Wolf struck him out looking.Roberts sure did, though, lining his second grand slam in four home games over the wall in left. The shot had the crowd roaring and got his teammates out of the dugout doing "The Snake," a Miguel Montero-created move that involves cupping the right hand and making a striking motion -- like, well, a snake head.Roberts' drive made Arizona the first team in major league history to hit grand slams in four straight home games (regular and postseason), according to STATS LLC and the SABR home run log."In that situation, I just wanted to get on base, not try do anything too much," Roberts said. "Just see a pitch in that I could drive and put a pretty good swing on it."Young followed with a shot to give the Diamondbacks back-to-back homers for the first time in their postseason history, then celebrated with a snake strike after putting Arizona up 5-1.Wolf, 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA in two starts against Arizona during the regular season, lasted just two more innings after allowing seven runs on eight hits."I don't think it has anything to do with the D-backs," Roenicke said. "I think Wolfy, when he gets in trouble, his location isn't there, and you saw that in the first inning."Cowgill pushed Arizona up 7-3 with a two-run single in the third, Hill hit his solo homer in the sixth and Young lifted a two-run shot in the seventh.Carlos Gomez hit a two-run homer off David Hernandez in the eighth to cut Arizona's lead to 10-6, but it was too late for the Brewers.Game notes With a solo homer in Game 1 and a grand slam in Game 2, Goldschmidt joined Shane Spencer (Yankees, 1998) to hit homers in his first two postseason games, according to information provided to the Diamondbacks by the Elias Sports Bureau. ... Despite a cool night outside -- 79 degrees at game time -- the roof at Chase Field remained closed. ... Ron Cey and Dusty Baker hit grand slams for the Dodgers in games 1 and 2 of the 1977 NLCS. ... The most recent team to rally from an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series was Boston against Oakland in the 2003 ALDS.

Freese's 4 RBIs help Cards even series vs. Phils

ST. LOUIS -- Big swings by a slumping hitter, clutch innings by a journeyman pitcher. Suddenly, the St. Louis Cardinals are looking very dangerous.As for the Philadelphia Phillies? Things have turned downright squirrelly.David Freese, shut down by Phillies aces the first three games, became a hometown star Wednesday night. He homered, doubled and drove in four runs as the Cardinals defeated nemesis Roy Oswalt and forced a deciding fifth game in their NL playoff series by beating the favored Phillies 5-3. "This is what you worked for," said Freese, a local prep star who came to the Cardinals in a trade for Jim Edmonds after the 2007 season. "Just to do this in front of the fans of St. Louis and a bunch of friends and family, it's amazing."Center fielder Jon Jay made a sliding catch on Placido Polanco's soft fly for the final out, and was already pointing his index finger before he got to his feet."We're not looking at this like we're just happy to be here and it's David and Goliath," Cardinals slugger Lance Berkman said.Now it's back to Philadelphia for Game 5 on Friday night. Roy Halladay, who won the opener for the Phillies, will face St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter -- they played together in Toronto for five years."They're good friends and old teammates, and Carp was really chomping at the bit for this opportunity to pitch against Roy on full rest in a huge Game 5," Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday said. "It should be quite a battle and then it'll be fun to watch two great competitors go head to head and two great teams get after it."Phillies manager Charlie Manuel agreed."Might be fitting that it goes down to the fifth game," he said. "It's up to us to go get it. It's sitting right there for us. We've got our ace going, and we're at home, and so everything is sitting right there." The 102-win Phillies were picked by many to win it all. But first they must dispose of the wild-card Cardinals, who clinched a playoff spot on the last day of the season and have gotten the best of two members of the Phils' star-studded rotation.An omen, maybe: Right after Oswalt threw a pitch in the fifth, a squirrel darted across the plate.Oswalt argued, unsuccessfully, that the creature's dash had distracted him on a pitch called a ball."I didn't want to stop in the middle of my motion, so I threw it," Oswalt said. "I was wondering what size of animal it needed to be for it not to be a pitch."Manuel argued, to no avail."Of course, being from the South and being a squirrel hunter, if I had a gun there, might have did something," Manuel said. "I'm a pretty good shot." Albert Pujols was hitless in four at-bats in what could have been his final home game with the Cardinals. He received thunderous cheers every trip to the plate from a standing room crowd of 47,071, second-largest at 6-year-old Busch Stadium.Pujols made his presence known on defense, catching Chase Utley going for an extra base in the sixth. Utley drew a leadoff walk and kept running on Hunter Pence's grounder to short, but Pujols alertly jumped off first base to catch the throw and made a sharp relay to third for the out."This is obviously the playoffs, but that's a play I can make in the regular season, too," Pujols said. "If I would have stayed on the bag, it was going to be tough to get the runner at third. Obviously, that killed the rally right there."Edwin Jackson recovered from a rocky beginning to win his first playoff start. After giving up two runs on his first five pitches, he wound up throwing six solid innings. Jason Motte worked a perfect ninth for his second save of the series.Phillies cleanup hitter Ryan Howard, like Freese a St. Louis product, was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He is 0 for 8 the last two games with five strikeouts and has hit only one ball out of the infield."I think I've been a little bit anxious trying to go up and trying to make things happen instead of letting things happen," Howard said. "Right now I'm just kind of jumping, so just try to recognize pitches better."Oswalt had been 5-0 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 previous postseason starts, the biggest closing out old Busch Stadium and the Cardinals in 2005 to get Houston to its first World Series. The right-hander also worked seven shutout innings against St. Louis in the Phillies' NL East division clincher in mid-September."It's good to get some early runs, for sure," Oswalt said. "I felt pretty comfortable after that. Just two bad pitches."The biggest jolts for the Cardinals came from their seventh-place hitter. Freese was 2 for 12 the first three games with one RBI before punishing the fourth of the Phillies' aces.Freese's two-run double down the third-base line in the fourth put St. Louis up 3-2. His two-run homer to straightaway center in the sixth whipped the crowd into a towel-waving frenzy.Oswalt walked Berkman and hit Holliday, making his first start of the series, to start the fourth. Pence made a fine running catch on the right field warning track to rob Yadier Molina of extra bases, but Freese jumped on a hanging curveball with a drive down the left-field line.Holliday singled with one out in the sixth and Freese hit a 1-0 pitch to the pasture in straightaway center, not far from where a squirrel made an early appearance, for a three-run cushion. In Game 3 Tuesday, a squirrel was seen scampering in foul territory along the third base line.Five pitches into the game, the Phillies had a 2-0 lead with an assist from the late-afternoon playing conditions.Jay, standing in bright sunshine while shadows, took one step in on leadoff man Jimmy Rollins' drive on the first pitch of the game and retreated too late for a ball just over his glove that bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double.Utley tripled just inside the first-base line three pitches later and Pence lined an RBI single on the next pitch.Game notes 2B Skip Schumaker was taken out with a left hamstring cramp after a flyout in the fifth -- the same at-bat the squirrel made its appearance. After disrupting play, the squirrel scampered through the stands. Schumaker is 5 for 8 in the series. ... Rollins doubled and had an infield hit his first two trips and has nine hits in the series. He has 14 multihit games in the playoffs, passing Howard for most in franchise history. ... The Cardinals became the second team to reach 100 postseason victories, trailing only the Yankees' 220.