MLB Playoffs 2011: Why Shaun Marcum Will Boost Brewers to Victory in Game 2

Are you feeling the heat yet?

We are only one game into the National League Championship Series and emotions are already flying high.

The Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals don’t like each other, and that much was evident in the Brewers Game 1 9-6 win.

We had Chris carpenter trash talk, the crowd aggressively booing Tony La Russa and bench warnings for both teams.

Now in Game 2 the Brewers sent Shaun Marcum to the mound, a pitcher that’s had a ton of success against the Cardinals.

Lance Berkman, Albert Pujols, Rafeal Fucal, David Freese and Yodier Molina are a combined 7-for-56 (.125) vs Marcum.

It’s not a huge sample size, but it’s enough to warrant a mention.

That’s essentially all of the production in the Red Birds lineup. If Pujols, Berkman and Molina are struggling, there is no hope for St. Louis.

Speaking of King Albert, the Cardinals star is 8-for-24 in the postseason (.333) but isn’t driving in runs. His one RBI came when he grounded into a double play with a man on third. St. Louis needs him to come alive in a hurry.

After a shootout in Game 1, I fully expect Game 2 to feature only a handful of runs for the Cardinals.

On the other hand, Jerry Hairston Jr, Rickie Weeks, Cory Hart and Nyjer Morgan are a combined 18-for-32 lifetime (.563) vs Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson.

Jackson gave up 10 runs in one of his worst starts of the year back in August against the Brewers. While I don’t anticipate double-digit runs, expect the Brew Crew to hang up more than a few crooked numbers on the scoreboard.            

The Brewers are 4-0 at home in the postseason after having the best record during the regular season. With the momentum currently squarely on the Brewers side, as is the pitching matchup, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Brewers blow this one.

Did I mention potential MVP Ryan Braun is hitting .667 with seven RBI in the postseason?

Expect Marcum to give the Brewers a quality start and the killer-combo of Braun and Fielder to feast on a struggling Jackson. The Brewers hold serve on their home turf:

Prediction: Brewers 6 Cardinals 3