On paper, it didn't look like much of a series.
The San Diego Padres came into this week's National League Divisional Series having won nine of their last 11 games, while the opposing St. Louis Cardinals had barely held onto their NL Central title, losing nine of their last 12.
The Padres sent ace Jake Peavy to the mound to pitch Game 1, looking to take an early 1-0 lead in the series against a struggling St. Louis team. But with one swing of Albert Pujols' bat, the Cards dismissed the Pads, 5-1, in the series opener, sending the Padres scrambling to split their two home games to open the series.
Peavy and Cardinals' ace Chris Carpenter turned in a pitchers' duel through the first three innings, but everything unraveled for Peavy in the fourth. Rookie Chris Duncan led off the inning with a single, and Pujols came up with a man on and nobody out. After Pads' catcher Mike Piazza inexplicably dropped a Pujols foul ball, Pujols took full advantage of the second chance, launching a two-run homer to left-center to give the Cards a 2-0 lead. They wouldn't look back.
The Cards' rally continued, as the next four batters produced a single, a double, a sacrifice fly and a walk. The Pads got out of the jam down 3-0, but the damage was done, as they could only muster one run of their own on a sacrifice fly from Brian Giles in the sixth.
After losing by a final score of 5-1 in the series opener, the Padres could only wonder-could this series be a repeat of last year's NLDS?
For the Padres, the 2005 playoffs ended with a first-round sweep at the hands of St. Louis. Pujols posted an astounding .692 on-base percentage in the series, and three Cardinals-Reggie Sanders, Jim Edmonds, and David Eckstein-all homered.
Postseason success is nothing new for Pujols and his Cardinals. In six seasons with the slugging first baseman in their lineup, the Cards have made the playoffs five times. Pujols' numbers in his first four postseasons are staggering. He posted a BA/OBP/SLG line of .336/.428/.620 and homered 10 times in 37 games. In 2004, he was the NLCS MVP, and in 2005, the reigning NL MVP stunned Houston Astros' closer Brad Lidge with a game-winning home run in Game 5 of the NLCS.
But can Pujols carry this year's Cardinals into the NLCS again? It won't be easy. Yes, the Cardinals have won the series' first game, but staying ahead of the Padres without the help of Carpenter is a daunting task.
Carpenter is the NL's reigning Cy Young Award winner, and he's made a good case for a repeat performance in 2006. With a 15-8 record and a 3.09 ERA, he's easily the best pitcher on the Cardinals' staff. But after him, St. Louis' rotation drops off severely. Manager Tony La Russa will look to 30-year-old journeyman Jeff Weaver to start Game 2, and Weaver's numbers are far from encouraging.
In 16 starts with the Los Angeles Angels this season, Weaver went 3-10 with a 6.29 ERA and was chased out of the rotation by his own little brother, the 23-year-old rookie Jered. Since catching on with the Cardinals in mid-season, Weaver hasn't been much better, posting a 5.18 ERA in his 15 starts against NL lineups.
Weaver will take on his fellow AL cast-off, former Boston Red Sox starter David Wells, in Game 2. Wells has been solid since his return to San Diego this season, posting a 3.49 ERA in five starts. In Game 3, the Cardinals will send Jeff Suppan to the mound, and he'll take on Chris Young, a 27-year-old Princeton graduate who's among the best pitchers in the National League.
Now that the Padres have Carpenter in their rear-view mirrors, the next two games look like a pair of mismatches of starting pitchers. If the Pads' offense can come back to life, they could find themselves in the next round, fighting for the NL pennant.
But with Pujols leading the Cardinals' charge into the playoffs, alongside a supporting cast that includes Rolen and Edmonds, anything is possible.
