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ARLINGTON -- For all the talk about resilience, spirit and togetherness, another trait has defined the 2011 Cardinals from start to finish: It's been one strange, eventful season. But it's hard to imagine them topping Monday night's loss to the Rangers for sheer oddness.
Miscommunication between the dugout and the bullpen led to two missed matchups in the eighth inning. Four intentional walks by Texas pitchers led to zero runs for the Cardinals. Chris Carpenter pitched brilliantly but allowed two solo homers, and the typically sound Cards relief corps sprung a leak. And so the National League champions fell, 4-2, in Game 5 and now trail in the World Series, 3-2.
The Cardinals had so much trouble communicating that Albert Pujols didn't even follow his own hit-and-run call. St. Louis went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, stranded 12 men on base, lost two runners...
The deeper things traveled into this warm Texas night, the more the vibe in Rangers Ballpark kept changing. The night began with 51,459 Texas Rangers fans feeling like nervous wrecks. They could sense that 2011 World Series was... more »
For the second time this World Series, there was no "happy flight" for the Cardinals. They had won 15 straight games on getaway day before blowing a ninth-inning lead in Game 2 and letting a late-inning tie in Game 5 slip... more »
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