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2006 National League Championship Series Preview
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Fearless Rick's NLCS PREVIEW
Rick Gagliano | 10/10/06
New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Tony LaRussa is in familiar territory, having won the NL Central for the 5th time in the last six years. Since 1996, LaRussa has guided the Cardinals into the post-season 7 times, but has been to the World Series only once, in 2004, where they were swept by the Red Sox. The Cards haven't won it all since 1967 and they're up against it again this year. For the Mets, it's all new. They haven't seen post-season play since 2000 and have no world titles since 1986.
How they got here:
The Cardinals hung on to win the NL Central by 1 1/2 over the Houston Astros, then took out the San Diego Padres in 4 games. The Mets went 97-65 and cruised to the NL East title by 12 games, then swept the Dodgers 3 straight to move to the Championship Series.
Big Name Players:
Hitting is going to be the key to this series, as neither team has exceptional starting pitching and both lineups are laced with power. For the Cardinals, the key everyday players are 3rd baseman Scott Rolen, 1st baseman Albert Pujols and center fielder Jim Edmonds.
Pujols, probably the most dangerous hitter in either league, batted .331 in the regular season with 49 homers and 137 RBI. He may be the NL MVP. He's deadly any time he steps to the plate and is especially murderous on lefties.
Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds suffered through various injuries in 2006, but both managed to put together productive seasons. Rolen hit .295 with 95 RBI, though his power number was down with just 22 homers. Edmonds, likewise, didn't clear the fences as often as in the past, with just 19 homers, 70 RBI and a .257 batting average. Edmonds played in just 110 games, but the batting average was a career low.
Besides their batting abilities, all three of the Cardinals' sluggers are excellent fielders, especially Edmonds, who gets the best jump in baseball.
While Delgado and Beltran get the big numbers the guy they're usually driving in is leadoff hitter Jose Reyes. Maybe the most exciting player in baseball, Reyes has exceptional speed (he led the league with 64 steals) to go with a solid .300 BA. Reyes, only 160 pounds, also has good power. He hit 19 homers, drove in 81 runs and scored 122 times.
These three, along with catcher Paul Lo Duca (.318, 5, 49), form the heart of the Mets' powerful lineup.
Dead arms vs. Big Bats:
Despite missing injured pitchers Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez due to injury, the Mets still have a pitching edge with Tom Glavine starting against the Cardinals' Jeff Weaver in game 1. Game 2 matches Mets' rookie John Maine with Jeff Suppan.
In game three, the Mets will start their steadiest performer, Steve Trachsel against Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter. That's the only game the Cards may have a pitching edge. Game four is likely to be a 10-8 slugfest as the Mets' Oliver Perez faces Jason Marquis.
Summary:
With both pitching staffs beaten up, the Mets have an edge only because they have more good bats at more positions, plus their middle relief (Chad Bradford, Darren Oliver and Pedro Feliciano) and closer (Billy Wagner) are better than what the Cardinals offer. The Cardinals' regular closer Jason Isringhausen is out, replaced by Bradon Looper or Adam Wainright. If the games are close, the Mets can slam the door. For the Cards, it's a different story.
Mets win this series in 4 or 5 games.
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