Rangers vs. Cardinals: A Battle of Managers and Bullpens Turns to Texas

Tony La Russa and Ron Washington know what they're doing.

They got their teams to this point by managing with specific styles all season and through October. Why wouldn't they stick to their guns in the World Series?

La Russa, who has been with the Cardinals since 1996, has taken his teams to the playoffs nine times over his 15 year career in St. Louis, and he won the World Series with the Cardinals in 2006.

He is a crafty, thinking manager. He studies matchups, discusses pitching rotations with his pitching coach Dave Duncan and talks about the swings of his players with hitting coach Mark McGwire. La Russa has changed his batting lineup throughout this postseason and he has continued in the World Series.

La Russa has played his bullpen as sporadically as his lineup. Jason Motte is considered the Cardinals' closer, even though his manager won't say as much. La Russa keeps things of such importance, or lack thereof, in-house. He's a gritty, old-school manager who has the same responses to different questions from reporters every single night of the long 162-game season. 

In Game 1, La Russa used six pitchers, with Chris Carpenter starting the game and throwing six innings. In Game 2, he used six pitchers, with Jaime Garcia throwing seven strong innings. La Russa used a combination of the same relievers in both games in a different order, with Motte getting the save in Game 1. 

La Russa used a barrage of pitchers throughout October, and he has no reason to stop now.

Ron Washington is a Tony La Russa look alike in style, though he's not as reckless. 

Washington is a former player who takes the regular season for what it is. A long, grueling grind from April to September that wears on players.

He knows to work in rest days for his starters, and he knows how to keep his roster fresh. He has fun with his players, connecting with them all individually, and establishing a genuine relationship alongside baseball. He runs in place in the dugout as Elvis Andrus steals bases, he claps at the top step of the dugout, louder than everyone else, whenever the Rangers score.

He's a manager who defends his players in every instance, and his players defend him in the same manner. It is a mutual respect that has been bridged through admissions of taking drugs, and being questioned by the Texas media about everyday decisions.

Washington treats his players and uses his players in the right way. He has certainly had the weapons in his lineup to succeed this year.

While Washington took the Rangers to the World Series last year, that was mostly on the back of Cliff Lee, C.J. Wilson and a stud pitching staff that looked groomed by Nolan Ryan who sat a few yards away every game of the season.

This October has been a hitting explosion by Texas. The additions of Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli have charged the lineup into the top ranks of Major League Baseball. As a result, or maybe just as a juxtaposition, the Texas pitching staff has waned in October. 

The Texas staff has thrown a combined 109 innings and has given up 46 runs in October. A 3.80 earned run average (ERA) may not seem bad on the surface, but their starters have weighed their staff down in October.

C.J. Wilson has thrown 21.1 innings and accrued a 7.17 ERA. Derek Holland has pitched 13.2 innings and posted a 5.27 ERA. Matt Harrison, the Rangers' starter in Game 3, has only thrown 10.2 innings and has a 4.22 ERA in October.

Clearly their starters have let them down. Colby Lewis has been the only reliable starter for Texas in October. In 18.1 innings, he has a 2.95 ERA with 16 strikeouts.

Ron Washington has had the same opportunities as La Russa to put his bullpen to work in this series, and he has done so. Washington has done it with just four pitchers per game, however. 

Having a concrete roster that is consistent is something that Ron Washington has based his managerial career on. Everyone knows Neftali Feliz is the Texas closer, which helps the rest of the bullpen define their roles around him. Josh Hamilton and Michael Young are the three and four hitters, and everyone else will fall in line behind them with Ian Kinsler and Andrus at the top of the lineup. Nelson Cruz has added a new power with Beltran and Napoli that has carried the Texas lineup through the playoffs. 

Ron Washington and Tony La Russa will battle throughout this series and it will eventually be determined by a manager's decision.

Whether it's Alexi Ogando of the Rangers being left in to face Albert Pujols and "The Machine" getting the better of him, or maybe Tony La Russa going to Jason Motte—who isn't his closer even though he saves games for St. Louis—to face Beltran, Napoli and Cruz in that order, we all know how that can end. If Cruz hits a bomb, La Russa will be crushed.

Managers can't win in baseball, and they're criticized for both sides of a decision they make. The two managers in the World Series in 2011 are here for a reason. They know how to win ballgames, and they know how to get the most out of each of their clubs.

These managers will certainly make it a Fall Classic to remember.