Cardinals back up Carpenter with stellar defense

Turning Point

	David Eckstein was the middle man in this double play to end the third inning. Elsa/Getty Images
	RELATED • Carpenter, Sanders lead Cards to Game 1 win

Before their usual sellout red-clad crowd (tonight: 52,332, all attired like hothouse tomatoes), the Cardinals displayed their usual fundamentally superb game. Two infield plays -- Mark Grudzielanek, David Eckstein and Albert Pujols turning an inning-ending double play in the third, and Abraham Nunez buttonholing Morgan Ensberg at home plate in the fourth -- snuffed out Houston's best scoring chances.

With one out and the bases loaded in the third, Chris Carpenter laboring through his only tough spot of the evening -- he had walked Craig Biggio on four pitches and Willy Taveras on 10 to stack 'em -- he lobbed a first-pitch curveball that Lance Berkman hit hard to the second-base hole. Grudzielanek showed nice mobility and range to reach the ball backhanded, then rapidly sidearmed it wide, to the center field side of the second-base bag.

"It's kind of a blind flip," Grudzielanek said. "I just needed to get the ball to him, because I knew we had a good chance of getting Berkman. I kind of left it out there a little bit, but I knew I had to keep it outside."

Eckstein, right foot anchored to the bag, made a long reach to catch Grudzielanek's throw, hurdled Taveras' slide with his back leg, and released quickly to first. "If the throw is to the inside, the runner's going to be right on top of you," Eckstein said. "If it's outside, you can clear yourself. Taveras didn't really give me a chance to step into the throw, but I was going to make sure my foot didn't leave that bag. And Pujols does a great job picking balls, so it gives you confidence to make the throw." Pujols completed the 4-6-3 by cleanly scooping Eckstein's one-hop bullet, a skill at which he has improved dramatically since first acquiring the position in 2003.

An inning later, with runners on first and third and one out, Nunez fielded Adam Everett's softish bouncer down the third-base line, saw Ensberg break for home on contact, and made a difficult-angle throw to Yadier Molina at the plate, to pick Ensberg by a few feet. Aware that the ball was hit too weakly to get two, and that Everett likely would beat out a throw at first, Nunez made a quick, accurate choice.

"My mind was made up that if he hits it at me, I'm coming to the plate," Nunez said. "He's not the fastest runner on the team. If the ball was a little closer to the line, I probably would have hit him in the back. The ball took me across to the bag, but Ensberg wasn't in my way. Yadier positioned himself well."

In both cases, every infielder involved in the play was acutely aware not only of the situation and the proper play, but of the strengths and weaknesses of the Astros' baserunners involved. That the Cardinals make snap decisions accurately and with confidence will not surprise their regular viewers, but it bears repeating that St. Louis assembled its second straight 100-win season, and the best record in the majors, by internalizing the thinking and skills responsible for both of these defensive plays. Also, recall that Nunez is St. Louis's backup third baseman, and that the man he's replacing, Scott Rolen, is a perpetual Gold Glover.

From the Bench

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa pulled the trigger in the third, suicide-squeezing with Carpenter to push St. Louis ahead 3-0. "They pitched out 1-0," said right fielder Larry Walker, "so you didn't think they'd do it again and go 3-0 on the pitcher. It's a nice call by Tony, but it's one thing to call it and another thing to get it done."

Said La Russa, "Any of our pitchers will tell you, the bunting side of the game has not been the easiest thing for Chris and he's worked really hard, and today he laid down two perfect sacrifices." Give LaRussa credit for biding his time on Garner's pitchout, then capitalizing immediately.

Right-hander Jeff Suppan, rather than right-hander Jason Marquis, will start Game 4. With workhorse reliever Al Reyes out for the season, La Russa prefers Marquis out the bullpen. "If we had Al Reyes healthy, then I think Jason would pitch Game 4 because of the success he's had against Houston and especially in that ballpark," La Russa said. "But we don't have him healthy and he is a force that we think would help us out of the pen a lot of games in an area we may be a little vulnerable."

Astros manager Phil Garner made one roster change for the NLCS, swapping in right-hander Ezequiel Astacio in place of sixth outfielder Luke Scott. The flip gives Houston, which was carrying only six relievers, some needed depth -- and it's difficult to imagine that Sunday's marathon with Atlanta didn't impact that switch.

Clubhouse Confidential

Houston starter Andy Pettitte wasn't sharp with his location, especially on an 88-mph fastball he left at the letters, over the plate, to Reggie Sanders in the first for a two-run homer. Garner speculated afterward that it may have been the result of a line drive he took off his right knee while running the bases during afternoon batting practice. "It's all swollen and puffed up," Garner said. "I think it probably had a little effect on him and that's one reason he didn't locate as well as he has been here recently."

St. Louis will go to Mark Mulder in Game 2 -- amazingly, it is the first LCS start of Mulder's distinguished career -- and he said he's more or less recovered from the arm bruise he sustained in Game 2 against the Padres, when Joe Randa's line drive caught him flush on a comebacker.

Bottom Line

The Astros can expect more of the same from the Cardinals' staff: heavy, sinking fastballs pounded down in the zone, and a quick-thinking, reflexive defense handling the contact that results. (Of Carpenter's 24 outs in Game 1, 16 came via groundball.) St. Louis reduces the margin of error for its opponents to a small, small window by making every basic play, and some exceptional ones to boot. As for the Cardinals' offensive depth, consider that it breezed to Wednesday's victory in spite of a combined 2-for-11 by Jim Edmonds, Pujols and Walker. I loved Garner's response to a question about the historical disadvantage of losing Game 1: "Going to probably lose it all. Why play on?"