MLB World Series 2011 Schedule: Which Team Will Win Game 1?

The Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals are set to face-off in Game 1 of the 2011 World Series tonight at Busch Stadium. The Rangers will send C.J. Wilson to the mound to oppose Chris Carpenter as both teams try to jump out to an early lead in the Fall Classic.

Tonight's Starters

Texas: C.J. Wilson (16-7, 2.94 ERA, 3.44 SIERA)

The ace of the Rangers pitching staff, Wilson backed up a strong first season as a starter with another good one in 2011. His postseason outings haven't been as kind, however. He's given up six earned runs in two of his three starts and walked five batters in his other.

Texas manager Ron Washington showed confidence in Wilson by still letting him trot out there for Game 1. He needs to keep the ball down in the zone (six home runs allowed) and be more efficient tonight (barely over five innings per start in playoffs) to give the Rangers a chance.

St. Louis: Chris Carpenter (11-9, 3.45 ERA, 3.50 SIERA)

Carpenter's record doesn't accurately depict how good he was this season. He had 16 starts of three earned or less in which he didn't get a win. That illustrates why there should be little importance placed on the statistic in the first place.

So far in the postseason he's had two shaky starts and one dominant one. The Rangers offense has been clicking on all cylinders, so Carpenter will need to bring his 'A' game if he plans on lasting past five innings.

3 Things to Watch

1. Look for both teams to work the count early and often in Game 1. The more pitches they force the opposing bullpen to throw tonight, the more susceptible they should be as the series goes on. Since it is projected to be a close series, that's more important than it may seem right now.

2. Texas should avoid pitching to Albert Pujols at all costs, similar to what teams did to Barry Bonds during his (suspiciously late) peak seasons. The Rangers should force Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday to beat them, not Pujols who has a 1.211 OPS during the playoffs.

3. Elvis Andrus will need to step up. He's hitting .205 in the postseason and his on-base percentage has dropped more than 20 points from his regular season numbers. If he can team with Ian Kinsler to get on base in front of the sluggers, Texas' run potential goes through the roof.

Game 1 Prediction

Just like the series itself, Game 1 should be a close battle. Both pitchers understand how important getting off to a quick start is in deciding the series, so the run totals probably won't be as eye-popping as some analysts have predicted. Cardinals prevail late, 4-3.

Game	Date	Time & TV	Home Team
1	Wednesday, Oct. 19	8:05 - FOX	Cardinals
2	Thursday, Oct. 20	8:05 - FOX	Cardinals
3	Saturday, Oct. 22	8:05 - FOX	Rangers
4	Sunday, Oct. 23	8:05 - FOX	Rangers
5	Monday, Oct. 24	8:05 - FOX	Rangers
6	Wednesday, Oct. 26	8:05 - FOX	Cardinals
7	Thursday, Oct. 27	8:05 - FOX	Cardinals