Vince, anything you want to say?
That about sums up GM1 of the World Series as well as any of us could.
It was a shitshow from the beginning. A carbon copy of 2004 where one team looked invincible while the other raised questions if they belonged in the major leagues, let alone the same field.
A nightmare wrapped in a bad dream.
There's almost too much to unpack before GM2 starts on Thursday night.
Just how rattled are the Cardinals cages? Just how hurt is Beltran? How did not getting Wainwright past the 5th inning bury the bullpen? Can Kozma get another start after that game? Jon Jay and Shane Robinson are really going to be the CF/RF starters for a playoff game? Have you ever seen the umps actually reverse a call after a manager's argument?
You can probably come up with 5 more with little to no effort. Almost every person I was talking or texting with last night had a different bone to pick. All of them valid.
But let's try to rank their devastation in order anyway… For the purposes of this, let's just say these were the plays that killed any momentum whatsover for the Cardinals. Short term and long term impact matters.
1) Carlos Beltran headed to the hospital for saving 3 runs that didn't end up mattering.
2) Adam Wainwright not catching a 40 foot pop-fly in the second inning.
3) Pete Kozma botching a double play ball.
4) David Freese hitting into a 1-2-3 double play to kill a bases loaded rally.
5) Ortiz destroying Kevin Siegrist and getting a curtain call.
7) Jon Jay leaving runners on 2nd & 3rd with a weak slapper for an out.
8) Freese muffing a grounder in the 7th inning, the Cardinals 3rd of the night.
We can go on. Promise.
But at the end of the day, the Cardinals needed to get one win in Boston to win this series. And that's still true. It's just become more dire. Because if they come home 0-2 with losses to Wainwright AND Wacha, this series is all but over.
Oh, and did I mention the Cardinals scored 1 run.
It's baseball. And games get away from teams (see: NLCS GM6), but when your team is on the wrong end of the whuppin' stick – it's not fun.
The Cardinals will be back in action Thursday night. Let's hope they decide to actually show up for GM2.
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