World Series 2011: Starting Pitchers Will Continue Struggles in Fall Classic

The World Series is a sight for everyone to see. For those who like their baseball with plenty of runs scored, this year's Fall Classic between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals is going to be an even more marvelous sight to behold.

As you may have already noticed, both of these clubs can swing the bats.

The Rangers led the majors with a collective batting average of .283 and finished third in runs scored and second in home runs during the regular season. For their part, the Cardinals led the National League in runs and on-base percentage.

So yeah, these two teams are going to be swinging the bats in the World Series. A lot.

Ordinarily, this is where I would say, "But...," and start rambling on about that old saying that claims that good pitching always beats good hitting.

I recall saying this very thing before the Rangers were set to take on the San Francisco Giants in the Fall Classic last season, and that old saying ended up being correct.

This year, I have no such concerns, for both the Rangers and Cardinals had some issues with their starting pitching in their respective championship series.

Per Rangers.com, we know that the AL champs have four starters that have posted a combined ERA of 5.62 to this point, the fifth-highest figure for any rotation in postseason history.

The Cardinals' starters had an ERA over 7.00 in the NLCS, and none of them lasted very long. They basically went out, got knocked around for a couple innings and then were removed by Tony La Russa so he could conduct a little bullpen wizardry.

Because both the Rangers and Cardinals finished with respectable pitching totals during the regular season, common sense tells us that things are going to level out in the World Series.

Instead of a clash between two mighty offensive teams, the 2011 Fall Classic could very well become an episodic series of pitcher duels.

But I don't think this is going to be the case. It would be one thing if we were talking about two elite starting rotations here, but I don't think we are. At least not along the lines of the 2010 Giants, anyway.

Consider the two aces that will be showcased in this series.

Texas' C.J. Wilson is good, but he's a pitcher who relies quite a bit on smoke and mirrors to get hitters out. We saw against both the Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers what happens when he leaves his fastball up in the zone, and this is a tendency that the Cardinals won't let him get away with either.

If Wilson doesn't harness his control, which is generally very good, he will continue to get knocked around.

I have a little bit more faith in Chris Carpenter, but the Cardinals' ace has been hit or miss pretty much all season.

When he hits, he hits hard. When he misses, he gets hit hard. His ERA after three postseason starts is pretty good, but that is largely thanks to his complete game shutout in the NLDS (a hit), and to the fact that La Russa took him out before he could fall off the rails in his other two starts.

Beyond Wilson and Carpenter, neither team really has any starting pitchers that truly scare you. There are certainly solid pitchers on both sides, but it would be a stretch to call any of them ace material.

This wouldn't necessarily have to be a problem for either club, but the beastly nature of the offenses at work will make it a problem. The Rangers are an aggressive team that crushes mistakes, and the Cardinals are actually quite similar, albeit slightly more patient.

So I hope you like runs, folks. They're going to be plentiful in this series. And if you don't like runs, well, tough.

Besides, does it matter?

Or, to quote Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, "Don't you wanna watch the World Series?"