Brewers, Cardinals Shock MLB, Set Up ALCS, NLCS No One Saw Coming
Milwaukee and St. Louis have been rivals for a long time, but none of their matchups have ever been this important.
And none of the matchups have ever been more unexpected.
The Brewers and Cardinals both held on in decisive Game 5's, as they advanced to the NLCS to fight for a berth to the Fall Classic. Nyjer Morgan and Chris Carpenter were the heroes.
Morgan hit an RBI single with one out to send the Brewers on, while Carpenter dealt a three-hitter to send the Cardinals on past the heavily favored Phillies.
The Comeback Cards, powered by Albert Pujols and the Rally Squirrel, were ten and a half games back with 32 games to play. The Atlanta Braves looked to easily have the division, wrapped up in a gold gift bag.
But they gave that bag away to St. Louis, as the Braves lost their last five games, including the last game of the season, where Hunter Pence's opposite-field bloop ended the Braves season.
That proved to be costly for the Phillies.
While in the past, heartbreakers always seemed to go against the Phillies, that's not what has happened recently. Here, though, heartbreakers went against Philadelphia.
Philadelphia was up 4-0 in the fourth inning of Game 2, perhaps looking ahead to a possible clinching Game 3. However, they weren't ready for Jon Jay and Albert Pujols.
Jay knocked in two runs, and Pujols hit an RBI single to plate Allen Craig for what proved to be the winning run. Jason Motte got a groundout to end the game.
In Game 5, Carpenter, who gave up four runs in Game 2, had the breaking ball working early, and he got a groundout to end the game, thanks to a breaking ball.
In the first, Rafael Furcal hit an outside fastball deep to right center field. Skip Schumaker hit that same pitch down the line for an RBI double.
Which was all Carpenter needed.
Raul Ibanez crushed a ball with two on and two out, but it landed on the track, in Lance Berkman's glove. Yadier Molina threw out Chase Utley trying to steal in the 6th, and Howard grounded out to end it.
In Milwaukee, you had the "Comeback Snakes", who had been defeating the odds all year long. People thought the hot-hitting Brewers had the series wrapped up.
Defeating the odds once again, Shaun Marcum and Randy Wolf fell for Milwaukee, leaving the series in the hands of Milwaukee ace Yovani Gallardo.
He delivered.
While the win goes to Jon Axford (who also blew the save), Gallardo went six strong innings, and Takashi Saito and K-Rod held the D-Backs in check.
Axford's fate was much different.
He gave up a double and a single to start the ninth, then couldn't a single out on Willie Bloomquist's run-scoring bunt.
In the tenth, with Axford still in, the Brewers held Arizona in check, and they were much the opposite on offense. Carlos Gomez singled and stole second.
With Nyjer Morgan up (you knew he'd come through), D-Backs closer J.J Putz gave Morgan an outside fastball that got past the middle.
The speedy Gomez raced home ahead of Chris Young's wild throw, as the Brewers took the game, and the series, to set up a critical matchup in the NLCs.
NLCS Prediction: Brewers in 7.
And none of the matchups have ever been more unexpected.
The Brewers and Cardinals both held on in decisive Game 5's, as they advanced to the NLCS to fight for a berth to the Fall Classic. Nyjer Morgan and Chris Carpenter were the heroes.
Morgan hit an RBI single with one out to send the Brewers on, while Carpenter dealt a three-hitter to send the Cardinals on past the heavily favored Phillies.
The Comeback Cards, powered by Albert Pujols and the Rally Squirrel, were ten and a half games back with 32 games to play. The Atlanta Braves looked to easily have the division, wrapped up in a gold gift bag.
But they gave that bag away to St. Louis, as the Braves lost their last five games, including the last game of the season, where Hunter Pence's opposite-field bloop ended the Braves season.
That proved to be costly for the Phillies.
While in the past, heartbreakers always seemed to go against the Phillies, that's not what has happened recently. Here, though, heartbreakers went against Philadelphia.
Philadelphia was up 4-0 in the fourth inning of Game 2, perhaps looking ahead to a possible clinching Game 3. However, they weren't ready for Jon Jay and Albert Pujols.
Jay knocked in two runs, and Pujols hit an RBI single to plate Allen Craig for what proved to be the winning run. Jason Motte got a groundout to end the game.
In Game 5, Carpenter, who gave up four runs in Game 2, had the breaking ball working early, and he got a groundout to end the game, thanks to a breaking ball.
In the first, Rafael Furcal hit an outside fastball deep to right center field. Skip Schumaker hit that same pitch down the line for an RBI double.
Which was all Carpenter needed.
Raul Ibanez crushed a ball with two on and two out, but it landed on the track, in Lance Berkman's glove. Yadier Molina threw out Chase Utley trying to steal in the 6th, and Howard grounded out to end it.
In Milwaukee, you had the "Comeback Snakes", who had been defeating the odds all year long. People thought the hot-hitting Brewers had the series wrapped up.
Defeating the odds once again, Shaun Marcum and Randy Wolf fell for Milwaukee, leaving the series in the hands of Milwaukee ace Yovani Gallardo.
He delivered.
While the win goes to Jon Axford (who also blew the save), Gallardo went six strong innings, and Takashi Saito and K-Rod held the D-Backs in check.
Axford's fate was much different.
He gave up a double and a single to start the ninth, then couldn't a single out on Willie Bloomquist's run-scoring bunt.
In the tenth, with Axford still in, the Brewers held Arizona in check, and they were much the opposite on offense. Carlos Gomez singled and stole second.
With Nyjer Morgan up (you knew he'd come through), D-Backs closer J.J Putz gave Morgan an outside fastball that got past the middle.
The speedy Gomez raced home ahead of Chris Young's wild throw, as the Brewers took the game, and the series, to set up a critical matchup in the NLCs.
NLCS Prediction: Brewers in 7.
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