\jeff{krimmel}

Astros-Cardinals Update

This is my first attempt at live blogging. I’ve decided to give my thoughts on game five of the National Leage Championship Series between the Astros and the Cardinals as the game progresses, but there is no guarantee I will be able to blog the whole game. We’ll see. All times are Pacific.

6:20PM
Top of the third inning. The Astros are up 1-0. Andy is looking shaky. Runners on first and third with no one out. Jim Edmonds had a nice looking hit into right field. The Astros need to tighten things up.

6:30PM
Back to back stikeouts for Pettitte. First Pujols, now Reggie Sanders. One more out, and we’re out of this half of the inning. Come on Andy.

6:35PM
The Cardinals are now up 2-1. After a walk to Larry Walker loaded the bases, Mark Grudzielanek blooped a ball into right field to score two. Andy isn’t looking great tonight.

6:39PM
Andy strikes out Yadier Molina to end the inning. One batter too late for a team that will struggle to put that tieing second run on the board. We need our hitters to continue to work Carpenter a bit and find a way to get this second run home. I am not sure that will matter, though, because the way Pettitte is looking, we might be looking at a five or six earned run outing.

6:46PM
That was a very quick one, two, three inning for Carpenter to end the third. With the heart of the order just having been up, the Astros have to find a way to get some base runners and manufacture runs. It will be a struggle, for sure. Let’s see how Andy Pettitte recovers from a very long top of the third.

6:52PM
A nice one, two, three inning for Pettitte to close out the top of the fourth. Both pitchers look to be settling into the game after a rough first few innings. I have to hope the ‘Stros offense can find a way to get runners on base and move them around against Carpenter. Andy needs to be able to hang in there and lock the Cards down three or four more innings. The bullpen has been used liberally in the first four games. We need to see if we can give Andy a lead and let him work.

7:02PM
The bottom of the Astros order again shows life, but nothing comes of it. Craig Biggio flied out to left fielder Reggie Sanders after Andy Pettitte executed a bunt moving runners to second and third bases with two outs in the inning. The middle of the order needs to do the same thing next inning in the hopes of getting that second run. Hopefully Andy can continue on his last half inning and shut down the Cards again. End of the fourth inning.

7:11PM
Another quick half inning for Pettitte. I like what I am seeing after a rough third inning. Hopefully the Astros bats can come alive now that we’re half way through the game. Middle of the fifth.

7:20PM
After Lance Berkman singled into right center field, Morgan Ensberg and Mike Lamb both struck out. This is, as usual, a very disheartening performance by the middle of the lineup. We need to figure Carpenter out and hope the bottom of the order can continue to work him. I hope Andy has a good inning or two left in him before we have to turn to the bullpen. End of the fifth inning.

7:27PM
Yet another quick half inning for Pettitte. The Cards are starting to put the bat on the ball though. I hope Andy is able to get us through the seventh unscathed, and then we can look toward the bullpen. It is the middle of the sixth inning, and we have four frames to put together at least one more run. With the rather active bottom of the order coming up, we have to get things moving.

7:35PM
The woeful Astros offense does nothing yet again. You have to hand it to Chris Carpenter. He is dominating the Astros after a couple of early hiccups. I am sure the Cards can smell their trip back to St. Louis at this point. The Stros need to find a way to put something together in these last three innings while continuing to keep the Cardinals off the board. This is playoff baseball.

7:43PM
Andy Pettitte is through for the night as the Astros bring in Chad Qualls in relief. We were very fortunate to get that pickoff of David Eckstein. Objectively, I really do think Pettitte balked on that throw, but you take what you can get at this point. It is even more huge since the next batter, Jim Edmonds, reached first base after an error on Mike Lamb, which would have sent Eckstein to at least second base, if not third. Hopefully Qualls can lock the rest of the lineup down as the Stros try to figure out how to score one run.

7:49PM
Qualls got the Astros through that half of the inning without any damage. Now the bats need to come alive, as the Astros still find themselves at a 2-1 deficit entering the bottom of the seventh inning.

8:01PM
Home run! Home run! Lance Berkman hit a three run home run to left field, after Chris Burke had a big time hit to advance Craig Biggio to third base. We need to keep this up, and remember what it feels like to score some runs.

8:05PM
The Astros now lead 4-2 entering the top of the eighth. While the clutch hitting is something to get excited about, there are two innings left, and the Cardinals have bats. Their big bats are due for some extra base hits, so the Astros need their bullpen to tighten it up and eliminate any mistakes, mental or otherwise. Six outs from the World Series. Let’s do this.

8:13PM
A very quick inning for Astros pitching. It is important that the offense not roll over now that we have scored a few runs. Put the pressure on Cardinals pitching again this inning, and let’s see if we can make it easier for ourselves in the top of the ninth. Come on Stros!

8:48PM
The Cardinals win on a three run home run by Albert Pujols in the top of the ninth inning with two outs. The Astros were one out from the World Series before Pujols, the best hitter in the game, parked one way, way out over the left field wall. I would consider this your proverbial knock out punch. The psychological blow the Cardinals have dealt to the Astros, who were ready to celebrate a trip to the World Series, is devastating and should not be underestimated. If I am a betting men, I place money on the Cardinals sweeping the two games in St. Louis and moving on to the World Series to face the Chicago White Sox. What a game.