Albert Pujols hit three 400+ foot homers and drove in six runs in five hits to carry the Cardinals to a 16-7 win over the Rangers. St Louis takes a two games to one lead in the series.
After his struggles over the first two games of the series, some were calling Pujols a choker (including an inane ESPN SportsNation poll that resulted in 53% saying that yes, he was a choker). Those cries are silent today, after his performance in game three. The Cardinals pounded out 15 hits and walked six times in the victory, with Pujols leading the charge. The Rangers offense wasn’t bad by any means, putting seven runs on the board over the course of the game, but the Cardinals were just too good on Saturday night.
Neither starting pitcher lasted long. Kyle Lohse exited after allowing three runs in three innings, and Matt Harrison left after allowed three earned (five total) in 3 2/3. The Cardinals bullpen would allow four runs in the final six innings of the game (not excellent by any means at all), but the Rangers bullpen allowed 11 (ten earned) in just 5 1/3. Scott Feldman and Alexi Ogando, who had allowed one run between them in the entire playoffs, combined to allow seven (six earned) while only getting five outs on Saturday, walking four and striking out only one. Mike Gonzalez was allowed to throw more than a third of an inning, and allowed two runs in 1 2/3. Mark Lowe, making his playoff debut this year, allowed a run in the eighth. And in the ninth, Darren Oliver allowed a solo homer to Pujols, to complete the run of every Rangers starter allowing a run.
Fernando Salas had a disastrous outing, allowing three runs in an inning, and it was actually an 8-6 game after the fifth inning. The Cardinals bullpen calmed themselves down, as Lance Lynn allowed just one run in 2 1/3 innings, Octavio Dotel threw 1 2/3 scoreless, and Mitchell Boggs threw a scoreless ninth on just six pitches.
Offensively, aside from Pujols, the Cardinals got contributions from Lance Berkman, David Freese, and Yadier Molina, all of whom had two hits and combined to drive in six runs. The only Cardinal starter without a hit was Jon Jay, who somehow only saw 12 pitches in his five at bats. For the Rangers, Adrian Beltre had four hits, while Nelson Cruz and Michaell Young both homered. Despite Texas logging 13 hits, only four went for extra bases, with two of those being the solo homers by Cruz and Young. St Louis had seven extra base hits, four of which were homers. Only two of those homers came with the bases empty.
Game four is tonight in Texas, and it’ll be Derek Holland and Edwin Jackson. The Rangers will look to even the series, and you have to wonder if their spirits will be a little crushed after the tough Saturday night against the Cardinals.
