***The OFFICIAL Cardinals vs. Astros NLCS Thread***

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Whether I'm right or wrong

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Since you aren't even man enough to admit you screwed up (or outright lied), I have no choice but to dub thee #58. Later.

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As if I know/care what that means.

[Josh W]

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Should still be a great series, but the loss definitely puts the Cards behind the 8-ball.

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What I like about it is now I get to be a Card's fan. Being on the side as K Steel was making my side split from laughter.

I like Suppan in 4...he didn't face the Stros at all this year, which will play in his favor. Also, he has a lower ERA than Morris, Mulder, or Marquis. He has a 2.78 post-allstar ERA, and under 2.0 in September. With him and Carp in 4 and 5, it's nearly impossible for HOU to sweep at home, and will be a struggle to win even 2 outta 3.

Josh

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You are also failing to point out that he out-dueled the Rocket last year in Game 7.

Sorry, I'm just trying to be unbiased here. TLR is going with Suppan probably because of this fact, primarily. Soup stepped up bigtime last year and TLR and Astros fans have not forgotten. It seems as though many Cardinal fans have forgotten this, somehow.

EDIT: That, I cannot help them with. I can only point out when they fail to remember/bring up valid points.

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You edited your post just to say that? Wow. Pity.

[technologic]

k steel trolled the ALDS threads as well...wouldn't put much thought into anything he says

[Aceshigh7]

Heading out to the game. Go Rocket and GO ASTROS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Clarkmeister]

Burke starting in CF over Tavares. Berkman in Left, Lamb at 1st. Reggie Sanders slated to start in Left. So Taguchi starting in Right. Combo of Larry hurting physically and Taguchi's success against Clemens in the past.

[Clarkmeister]

Big game today. Bigger for the Stros than the Cards. A loss by the Stros and they need to win both with Backe and against Carpy to avoid having to sweep in Busch.

Frankly, I'm surprised the line is only -130 for Clemens. I'd have figured closer to -160 or so. Big game for both teams.

[Zeno]

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So Taguchi starting in Right. Combo of Larry hurting physically and Taguchi's success against Clemens in the past.

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Taguchi is .296 vs righies and .276 vs lefties. But has he really faced Clemens all that much - so that any numbers would be significant? He has only really played for 1 or 2 years. The other plus with Taguchi is his base running - he is a credible threat on the bases. Walker is a mule.

Sanders is officially going to play? I would wait until the last possible moment before saying yea or nah.

Not that it will matter. The Astro are going to win this one.

-Zeno

[Clarkmeister]

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But has he really faced Clemens all that much

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TLR thinks a sample size of anything greater than 4ABs is significant. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

The lineups were reported by the St. Louis beat guy, he's like 100% reliable.

[Clarkmeister]

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But has he really faced Clemens all that much

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TLR thinks a sample size of anything greater than 4ABs is significant. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

The lineups were reported by the St. Louis beat guy, he's like 100% reliable.

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Ha. He just updated it. Late change. Sanders out, Walker in.

[Clarkmeister]

From the Cards writer:

Taguchi in LF ... Walker in RF.

Surprising, and a 180 from what La Russa believed last night....about Reggie.

But Reggie wasn't cleared by the medics.

That's what TLR indicated, saying he made the decision after consultation with docs and trainers.

"I went in the training room and it became more of a doctor/trainer evaluation," La Russa said. "Reggie's discomfort level, they put it at seven or eight on a scale of 10, and when you play baseball, you're going to have to swing, you're going to have to throw, you're going to have to defend, so that's punishment."

La Russa wouldn't say yes or no when asked if Sanders could be used as a pinch hitter.

Asked about Reggie's injury, La Russa said, "He didn't have a strain. He got pounded on his back, so he had some trauma and some discomfort and that's been localized. The neck where he had the whiplash, that's what sore -- more sore."

About Walker, La Russa said, "I talked to Larry and told him we had all kind of ways we could go, and he could he play -- and it wasn't a question of if he had to take one for the team. He said he could go."

La Russa added later, "The point on Walker is, he's looked ouchy and then all of a sudden in a game he'll go out there and get two or three hits...if I think it's obvious he's nowhere near himself, then somebody is going to play for him. But he's done this a time or two this year. (In Game 2) that could have been that Roy Oswalt was a problem, and not soreness. Larry's liable to show up today and have the hits that win the game."

On the state of his lineup, La Russa said: "It's a situation we worried about a lot for the whole second half of the season and the guys that played, and many times ... guys have really been stars who have played in their place."

Lineups:

Eckstein 6
Taguchi 7
Pujols 3
Edmonds 8
Walker 9
Grudzielanek 4
Molina 2
Nunez 5
Morris 1

Biggio 4
Burke 8
Berkman 7
Ensberg 5
Lamb 3
Lane 9
Ausmus 2
Everett 6
Clemens 1