MLB World Series 2011: Cardinals' Miracle Run Will End in Sadness vs. Rangers

When the St. Louis Cardinals were 10.5 games out of the Wild Card in late August, no one would have imagined they would be playing in the World Series against the Texas Rangers. Their magical run is the stuff of legend, but the story will not have a happy ending.

As much flak as Tony LaRussa gets for the way he manages this team—and deservedly so—most of the time he has pushed all the right buttons in the postseason. Some of it has been dumb luck, some of it is a master craftsman at work, but it is working right now.

General manager John Mozeliak has not gotten enough credit for the job he has done, but some shrewd—and, at times, controversial—moves have put this team in the position they are in.

As Jayson Stark of ESPN.com wrote, Mozeliak deserves as much praise for the Cardinals’ run this October as LaRussa.

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“He was the man who signed Lance Berkman, the man who traded his starting center fielder (and more) for three pitchers who hadn't previously been confused for Mariano Rivera or Felix Hernandez, the man who scooped Rafael Furcal and Arthur Rhodes off the clearance heap.”

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The biggest difference between this series with the Rangers and their previous two against Philadelphia and Milwaukee is that the Rangers are deeper than they are.

Neither team has great starting pitching, but the both are very good at the top. Chris Carpenter and C.J. Wilson were two of the 10 best pitchers in their respective league. The Rangers have slightly better starters, relievers and a deeper lineup.

That is not to say that the Cardinals can’t win—it’s only seven games, at the most, and anything can happen in a short series—but they do not have the talent on paper to compete with the Rangers, all things being equal.

The Cardinals' run since the end of August has been one of the most exciting in recent baseball history, and it has resulted in the team winning the National League pennant for the second time in six years. Unfortunately, this time it will not end in World Series triumph.