[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]After what was practically a five-game set with the Atlanta Braves, the Houston Astros will face the St. Louis Cardinals once again in the NLCS this year. [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]After their 18-inning Game 4 marathon with the Braves on Sunday night, the Astros better have got their rest on Monday because they’re going to need it if they hope to get past a Cardinals’ squad that swept away the San Diego Padres in the division series.<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O
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<O></O>Last year’s NLCS should have the Astros thinking revenge, but other than that it shouldn’t have much bearing on this year’s series after both teams made a few additions and lost some power in their line-up.<O></O>
<O></O>Last season, <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 /><ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> bashed their way through the regular season and the first round of the playoffs with the big bats of Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent and Jeff Bagwell. With Beltran and Kent both gone and Bagwell’s bat limited to a pinch-hitting role, the Houston offense now relies on the surprisingly electric bat of Morgan Ensberg and the punch of Lance Berkman. But when you’re talking about the Astros, it’s their pitching that got them to where they are today. With Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Roy Oswalt, the Astros have three veritable aces who keep <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> in the game every time they take the mound. With Brandon Backe hurling fourth in the rotation, the Astros have another proven playoff performer who came up big for them down the stretch. And if any of these fine starters lasts into the eighth inning, the game is a virtual lock with lights-out closer Brad Lidge shutting the door.<O></O>
<O></O><ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">St. Louis</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> can brag about their pitching too, but nobody goes to a Cardinals game to see great pitching. The Cards had one of the best offenses in the NL again this season, led by the powerful Albert Pujols and complementary sluggers Larry Walker and Jim Edmonds. They also revamped their infield this season with Mark Grudzielanek and sparkplug David Eckstein up the middle, and were also forced to insert Abraham Nunez at third base after Scott Rolen went down for the season. Rolen’s big bat wasn’t missed in the opening round versus <ST1:CITY w:st="on">San Diego</ST1:CITY>, but it might become more of a factor against <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY>’s intimidating staff. <O></O>
<O></O>The Cards have a new pair of aces of their own this season that they didn’t have in their seven-game set with <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> last year. How good would the Cardinals have been with Chris Carpenter on the mound in last year’s playoffs? The Cy Young candidate was dominating this season and should get the start in Game 1. Right behind Carpenter is the Cards’ big offseason acquisition, Mark Mulder. Mulder has plenty of playoff experience from his days in <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Oakland</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> and he and Carpenter should be able to match up well against the Astros.<O></O>
<O></O>The probable Game 1 pitching matchup will pit Carpenter against Pettitte. Carpenter was 4-0 against <ST1:CITY w:st="on">Houston</ST1:CITY> this season before recording a no-decision in what was a meaningless game for <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">St. Louis</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> in September. Pettitte has faced the Cardinals three times this season and recorded a loss with a pair of no-decisions. These two starters went head-to-head once during the season back in June, when Carpenter had the upper hand in a 2-0 victory.<O></O>
<O></O>If the regular season means anything, the Cardinals should beat <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> for the second straight year as they went 11-5 against the Astros in 16 games. But the last time they clashed in September, <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> took both games in a short two-game series. The Astros handled Carpenter and Matt Morris in those two games, but they were played long after the Cardinals clinched a playoff spot so don’t put too much stock in those results.<O></O>
<O></O>The oddsmakers have given the edge to the Cardinals in Game 1, opening <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">St. Louis</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> as a –155 favorite. The total was set at 7.5, about where you’d expect with Carpenter and his tiny 2.83 regular-season ERA taking on Pettitte and his microscopic 2.39 regular-season ERA.<O></O>
<O> Marty Jensen Rx. Managing Director..</O>
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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]After their 18-inning Game 4 marathon with the Braves on Sunday night, the Astros better have got their rest on Monday because they’re going to need it if they hope to get past a Cardinals’ squad that swept away the San Diego Padres in the division series.<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O
></O><O
></O>Last year’s NLCS should have the Astros thinking revenge, but other than that it shouldn’t have much bearing on this year’s series after both teams made a few additions and lost some power in their line-up.<O></O><O
></O>Last season, <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 /><ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> bashed their way through the regular season and the first round of the playoffs with the big bats of Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent and Jeff Bagwell. With Beltran and Kent both gone and Bagwell’s bat limited to a pinch-hitting role, the Houston offense now relies on the surprisingly electric bat of Morgan Ensberg and the punch of Lance Berkman. But when you’re talking about the Astros, it’s their pitching that got them to where they are today. With Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Roy Oswalt, the Astros have three veritable aces who keep <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> in the game every time they take the mound. With Brandon Backe hurling fourth in the rotation, the Astros have another proven playoff performer who came up big for them down the stretch. And if any of these fine starters lasts into the eighth inning, the game is a virtual lock with lights-out closer Brad Lidge shutting the door.<O></O><O
></O><ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">St. Louis</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> can brag about their pitching too, but nobody goes to a Cardinals game to see great pitching. The Cards had one of the best offenses in the NL again this season, led by the powerful Albert Pujols and complementary sluggers Larry Walker and Jim Edmonds. They also revamped their infield this season with Mark Grudzielanek and sparkplug David Eckstein up the middle, and were also forced to insert Abraham Nunez at third base after Scott Rolen went down for the season. Rolen’s big bat wasn’t missed in the opening round versus <ST1:CITY w:st="on">San Diego</ST1:CITY>, but it might become more of a factor against <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY>’s intimidating staff. <O></O><O
></O>The Cards have a new pair of aces of their own this season that they didn’t have in their seven-game set with <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> last year. How good would the Cardinals have been with Chris Carpenter on the mound in last year’s playoffs? The Cy Young candidate was dominating this season and should get the start in Game 1. Right behind Carpenter is the Cards’ big offseason acquisition, Mark Mulder. Mulder has plenty of playoff experience from his days in <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Oakland</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> and he and Carpenter should be able to match up well against the Astros.<O></O><O
></O>The probable Game 1 pitching matchup will pit Carpenter against Pettitte. Carpenter was 4-0 against <ST1:CITY w:st="on">Houston</ST1:CITY> this season before recording a no-decision in what was a meaningless game for <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">St. Louis</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> in September. Pettitte has faced the Cardinals three times this season and recorded a loss with a pair of no-decisions. These two starters went head-to-head once during the season back in June, when Carpenter had the upper hand in a 2-0 victory.<O></O><O
></O>If the regular season means anything, the Cardinals should beat <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> for the second straight year as they went 11-5 against the Astros in 16 games. But the last time they clashed in September, <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">Houston</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> took both games in a short two-game series. The Astros handled Carpenter and Matt Morris in those two games, but they were played long after the Cardinals clinched a playoff spot so don’t put too much stock in those results.<O></O><O
></O>The oddsmakers have given the edge to the Cardinals in Game 1, opening <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1LACE w:st="on">St. Louis</ST1LACE></ST1:CITY> as a –155 favorite. The total was set at 7.5, about where you’d expect with Carpenter and his tiny 2.83 regular-season ERA taking on Pettitte and his microscopic 2.39 regular-season ERA.<O></O><O
> Marty Jensen Rx. Managing Director..</O>[/font]
