World Series Schedule 2011: Chris Carpenter Will Give Cardinals Edge in Game 5

No matter what happens on Sunday night, Game 5 of the 2011 World Series will be played on Monday in Arlington.

Well, unless the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers finish Game 4 and decide to call it a series. But why would they do that?

Why indeed, especially when you consider the fact that both teams will be trotting out their aces in Game 5. Former National League Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter will be on the mound for the Cardinals, and soon-to-be mega millionaire C.J. Wilson will be on the mound for the Rangers.

This is the exact same matchup that we got in Game 1. Carpenter and Wilson both pitched well, but it was Carpenter who walked away with a W at the end of the 3-2 contest that went the Cardinals' way. Carpenter helped the cause with six innings of two-run ball.

As you may recall, Carpenter going six was a welcome sight for the Cardinals. They got by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series on the strength of their bullpen, not their starting pitching. Watching Carpenter doing his thing was a sight for sore eyes.

My guess is that the Cardinals are going to be in for more of the same in Game 5. While it's true that 2011 was something of a roller coaster ride for Carpenter, he's been up more than he's been down. Particularly lately, as he's been just as likely to throw a complete game shutout as he is to take an early shower.

It's not every day we call a pitcher a "crafty righty," but Carpenter does seem to fit that particular (and rare) bill. He does a good job of keeping his fastball down and keeping hitters off-balance with his curve. His only mistake in Game 1 was a fastball that he left up in the zone to Mike Napoli.

Presumably, moving from the cold of St. Louis to the warmth of Texas will only help Carpenter's stuff, as it can be notoriously tough to get a grip on off-speed pitches in the cold weather. If it does, Carpenter is going to be a tough nut to crack.

On the other side of the diamond, Wilson is still something of a mystery. He did a good job of limiting the damage in Game 1, but a pitcher with his control has no business walking six batters. That's inexcusable in any game, let alone a World Series game.

This being said, Wilson's control issues in Game 1 hardly came as a surprise. He's had issues locating the ball ever since the calendar turned to October, so Game 1 was pretty much par for the course. That the Cardinals are a patient team did not help Wilson's cause.

Given the circumstances, the Rangers better hold on to the 4-0 lead they currently have in Game 4. Trusting Wilson to save their season is not the ideal scenario at this point, as strange as that may seem.

Meanwhile, I'm sure the Cardinals would be just fine with trusting Carpenter to potentially end their season.