Tweet
QUOTE
Elias Says ...
Insider
By Elias Sports Bureau, Inc.
Special to ESPN Insider
A daily glance inside the numbers from the world of sports:
Major League Baseball
• The Astros defeated the Cardinals, 4-1 on Thursday night, snapping their streak of six consecutive road losses in LCS play, dating back to 1986. Only three other teams lost six straight LCS road games: the Red Sox (1988-99), Cubs (1984-89), and Dodgers (1983-88).
When the NLCS continues at Minute Maid Park on Saturday, the Cardinals will take a shot at tying that same record. St. Louis has lost its last five LCS road games -- two in San Francisco in 2002, three in Houston last year.
• When Chris Burke scored on Yadier Molina's passed ball in the second inning to give the Astros a 1-0 lead, it marked the first time in the 2005 postseason that the Cardinals trailed in a game. Their streak of 37 consecutive innings without trailing was the second longest in postseason history. The Yankees played 39 innings in row either tied or in the lead during the 1998 postseason.
Burke was only the second player in the last seven years to score a run on a passed ball in a postseason game. The other was Mark DeRosa of the Braves in their 2002 Division Series against the Giants, with Benito Santiago behind the plate.
• Burke is now 5-for-8 with four RBI in his first postseason. Only five other players had at least five hits and four RBIs in their first eight postseason at-bats: Joe Marty (1938), George McQuinn (1944), Mark Grace (1989), Ed Sprague (19921993), and Jim Edmonds (2000).
• Roy Oswalt drew a walk on four pitches in the second inning against Mark Mulder. Over the last five years (2001-05), the only other four-pitch walk by a pitcher in a postseason game was also by Oswalt, batting against Mike Hampton of the Braves in the 2004 NLDS.
• Brad Lidge earned the save in the Astros' Game 2 victory, continuing his mastery of the Cardinals with two scoreless innings. Since Sept. 14, 2003, Lidge has made 23 appearances against the Cardinals, including five in postseason play, allowing six hits and no runs in 30 1/3 innings, striking out 43 batters and walking only eight. Lidge is 1-0 with 10 saves in those games.
• After five games of the 2005 postseason, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 1.60, but their relief pitchers have allowed 10 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings for a 7.94 ERA. It's early, but only one team in the last 20 years had a postseason ERA below 2.00 by its starters and above 6.00 by its relievers: the 1998 Cubs (1.80 and 12.79, respectively). [/b][/quote]
Insider
By Elias Sports Bureau, Inc.
Special to ESPN Insider
A daily glance inside the numbers from the world of sports:
Major League Baseball
• The Astros defeated the Cardinals, 4-1 on Thursday night, snapping their streak of six consecutive road losses in LCS play, dating back to 1986. Only three other teams lost six straight LCS road games: the Red Sox (1988-99), Cubs (1984-89), and Dodgers (1983-88).
When the NLCS continues at Minute Maid Park on Saturday, the Cardinals will take a shot at tying that same record. St. Louis has lost its last five LCS road games -- two in San Francisco in 2002, three in Houston last year.
• When Chris Burke scored on Yadier Molina's passed ball in the second inning to give the Astros a 1-0 lead, it marked the first time in the 2005 postseason that the Cardinals trailed in a game. Their streak of 37 consecutive innings without trailing was the second longest in postseason history. The Yankees played 39 innings in row either tied or in the lead during the 1998 postseason.
Burke was only the second player in the last seven years to score a run on a passed ball in a postseason game. The other was Mark DeRosa of the Braves in their 2002 Division Series against the Giants, with Benito Santiago behind the plate.
• Burke is now 5-for-8 with four RBI in his first postseason. Only five other players had at least five hits and four RBIs in their first eight postseason at-bats: Joe Marty (1938), George McQuinn (1944), Mark Grace (1989), Ed Sprague (19921993), and Jim Edmonds (2000).
• Roy Oswalt drew a walk on four pitches in the second inning against Mark Mulder. Over the last five years (2001-05), the only other four-pitch walk by a pitcher in a postseason game was also by Oswalt, batting against Mike Hampton of the Braves in the 2004 NLDS.
• Brad Lidge earned the save in the Astros' Game 2 victory, continuing his mastery of the Cardinals with two scoreless innings. Since Sept. 14, 2003, Lidge has made 23 appearances against the Cardinals, including five in postseason play, allowing six hits and no runs in 30 1/3 innings, striking out 43 batters and walking only eight. Lidge is 1-0 with 10 saves in those games.
• After five games of the 2005 postseason, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 1.60, but their relief pitchers have allowed 10 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings for a 7.94 ERA. It's early, but only one team in the last 20 years had a postseason ERA below 2.00 by its starters and above 6.00 by its relievers: the 1998 Cubs (1.80 and 12.79, respectively). [/b][/quote]
"Can't buy what I want because it's free...
Can't buy what I want because it's free..."
-- Pearl Jam, from the single Corduroy
Comment