World Series 2011 Schedule: Start Times and Dates for Rangers vs. Cardinals

With the National League Championship Series wrapping up on Sunday night, the matchup for the 2011 World Series is finally set in stone. It will be the Texas Rangers versus the St. Louis Cardinals.

My guess is that not a whole lot of people predicted that this would be the World Series matchup at the beginning of the playoffs, much less the beginning of the season. But hey, that's the beauty of baseball.

It's going to be a very interesting series, no doubt about that. The Rangers have gotten to this point primarily by smashing the cover off the ball. The last time we saw them, they were scoring 15 runs against the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, and Nelson Cruz was hitting his sixth home run of the series.

The Cardinals have advanced in a similar fashion, but you have to give plenty of the credit to Tony La Russa. He pulled all the right strings with his pitching staff in the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers and has used his bullpen to perfection. You better believe that he is one of the great managers in baseball history.

But enough looking back. Let's look ahead, shall we?

Game 1 Preview: Wednesday, Oct. 19

Rangers SP: C.J. Wilson (16-7, 2.94 ERA, 3.24 FIP)

Cardinals SP: Chris Carpenter (11-9, 3.45 ERA, 3.06 FIP)

To clarify, it hasn't yet been officially announced that this will be the starting pitching matchup. But this is what the folks at TBS projected, and the pieces definitely fit. Both Wilson and Carpenter are the aces of their respective staffs, and both are in line to start on Wednesday. Wilson last started on Thursday in Detroit, and Carpenter hasn't pitched since last Wednesday against Milwaukee.

Of the two, Wilson is the one who could most use a good start. He has yet to last more than six innings in three starts this postseason, and he has been at best mediocre. Wilson has allowed 14 earned runs in those three starts and has struggled with his control.

Carpenter has been hit and miss, but the one hit was a big one. He clinched Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies with a complete game, three-hit shutout. When he gets in a rhythm, such starts are definitely not out of the question.

As good as these two pitchers can be, both have their work cut out for them. The Cardinals led the National League in runs scored this season, and the Rangers finished third in runs scored in the American League.

As if that wasn't enough, both offenses have been swinging the bats very well in October.

Game 1 Prediction: Cardinals 3, Rangers 2

Game	Matchup	Date	Time	TV Station
1	Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals	Wednesday, Oct. 19	TBA	FOX
2	Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals	Thursday, Oct. 20	TBA	FOX
3	St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers	Saturday, Oct. 22	TBA	FOX
4	St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers	Sunday, Oct. 23	TBA	FOX
5*	St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers	Monday, Oct. 24	TBA	FOX
6*	Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals	Wednesday, Oct. 26	TBA	FOX
7*	Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals	Thursday, Oct. 27	TBA	FOX

*If necessary

On paper, I think the Rangers have the better team. I think they have more depth in their starting rotation, better arms in their bullpen and certainly more thump on offense. And after watching them play against the Tigers, it's hard to see how they can be beaten.

Then again, I thought the Rangers couldn't be beaten last year either, and they ended up being beaten quite easily. And while the Cardinals definitely don't have the same kind of pitching as the 2010 San Francisco Giants, they are definitely a good team.

What I like about the Cardinals is the same thing that everyone else likes about them right now: Tony La Russa's ability to mix and match. He does it better than anyone, and it's a habit that is going to give the Rangers fits.

If you ask me, this series is going to go the distance. The St. Louis faithful are going to be very happy with the result.

Series Prediction: Cardinals in seven.