Jason Motte Gets His Apples Sauced

Yes we know it's a stupid pun but all the real sports writers are out getting paid, so you get us.

The point is, anyway, that last night's closer could not repeat the glory tonight, just as manager Tony La Russa, the wise old sage playing his brilliance out on a baseball diamond last night, looked like a guy trying to light a match at the beach.  He eventually got the cigar lit, but it dropped into the surf.

That is to say that his 1-0 lead was snuffed out when his bullpen finally let him down, giving up two runs in the top of the ninth inning, his defense got sketchy including a rare moment of fielding ambivalence by Albert Pujols.  Neftali Feliz blew smoke to close out the Cardinals and the series-evening 2-1 score was booked.

Actually, we don't get the brilliance part that a lot of those high-paid sports guys were talking about.  We see that Tony pulls a lot of levers with line-ups and match-ups and positioning and we see that he wins a lot, but for our money, it's a lot of hair-pulling for, well we can't say nothing since La Russa ranks as the third-winningest manager of all-time, it just seems fidgety and compulsive.

We know it's a stretch.

Nick Punto, who was called out for running out of the baseline around third when he finally came back into the stadium, failed to execute a bunt in the bottom of the ninth inning and eventually struck out, helping to foil La Russa's will.  Relievers Arthur Rhodes and Lance Lynn also contributed to the St. Louis vacuum that allowed Texas to score a pair quite handily in a game they struggled to make contact off Cardinal starter Jaime Garcia. 

The Rangers have a knack for one of their guys coming out with a monster game at various times her in the playoffs: Beltre had his three-dinger game, Nelson Cruz destroyed the Tigers, and tonight Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler lit the infield up with two dynamic and momentum-killing plays, diving and scooping and flinging or shoveling but in any case demoralizing.

There's always room for pie.

Friday is a travel day and the Cardinals will ponder the home-field advantage they lost while they gear up for warmer weather in Nolan's backyard in what is now a best-of-five series.

Will Jason Motte be apple pie or applesauce in the Lone Star state?
As they are certainly not saying in the St. Louis clubhouse, "Pie or die."