Rangers vs. Cardinals Game 1: Did C.J. Wilson Sell the Rangers Short?

C.J. Wilson and Chris Carpenter took the mound for the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively, in Game 1 of the 2011 World Series.  

Carpenter had a hot second half of the season. He had a 2.98 ERA after the All-Star break and entered the World Series with a 3-0 2011 postseason record.  

Meanwhile, Wilson was 0-2.  He needed to step up to hang with Carpenter.

Unfortunately, Wilson did not up his game for the Game 1 duel.  While Carpenter was sharp, Wilson was shaky.  Wilson pitched wildly and failed to get through six innings.

Wilson pitched like he couldn't find the plate.  Wilson walked six batters in 5 2/3 innings.  Of Wilson's 94 pitches, 50 were strikes.  Also, he threw two wild pitches and hit Albert Pujols.

Pitching around Pujols was a possibility for the Rangers game plan.  However, one wouldn't have guessed a hit batsmen to be in the cards held by Ron Washington.

Hitting Pujols slid Wilson and the Rangers down a slippery slope.  Two batters after Wilson hit Pujols, Lance Berkman hit a two-run single.

Wilson made two costly control errors in the sixth inning to lose the lead for the Rangers.  After David Freese doubled, Wilson gave him third base with a wild pitch.  With two outs, Wilson walked Nick Punto on four pitches.

That was a grave mistake by Wilson.

Next, Allen Craig knocked Freese in with a single.  Timely hitting wins in the playoffs, and Wilson gave the Cardinals an extra chance for that timely hit.

Wilson Could Do Much Better

One wonders what Wilson has been doing this postseason.  Wilson is 0-3 this October.  His wild outing gave the Cardinals too easy of a home win.  

This came when Carpenter silenced the Rangers bats.  After the Rangers gave a quick answer to the Cardinals in the fifth, Wilson needed to hold the fort down.  The next run scored could have been the difference.  

Washington started Wilson against Carpenter for a reason.  He expected Wilson to hold the Cardinals down, especially if Carpenter had a strong outing like he did.

A 16-game winner in the regular season, Wilson needed to bring his best to start the World Series.

Wilson Is Undercutting His Team

Wilson could have gone toe-to-toe with Carpenter for at least seven innings if he wanted to do the job.  Instead, he went wild.

Wilson has been way too wild in this postseason.  In 21 2/3 innings this postseason, Wilson has issued 14 walks.  This is much worse than his regular season rate.  Wilson allowed 74 walks in 223 1/3 innings, fewer than three per nine innings.

Questions abound about his poor postseason pitching.  Is Wilson tired?  Wilson pitched 131 more innings in 2010 than in any previous season.  The effect could be setting in now.

Is he mailing in the postseason in preparation for a big payday?  Wilson might believe that his postseason won't matter since he has had two strong seasons as a starter.  He might be looking past the World Series towards a team like the New York Yankees that might make him a $100 million man.

If that is a possibility, then Washington should bench Wilson.  Washington could pitch Scott Feldman in his place or move someone else up to take his place.  The Rangers need their pitchers to be focused on their outings.

Hopefully for the Rangers, their pitchers will follow through in the coming games.  Their 5.86 ERA from their starting rotation didn't help them reach the World Series.

The Rangers will need better than what Wilson did in Game 1 to win the World Series.