Cards' bats let down Carpenter in Game 5

ARLINGTON, Tex. Chris Carpenter deserved better. With the World Series reduced to a best of three, Monday night's Game 5 offered the Cardinals a chance to take a 3-2 lead before the series returned to St. Louis for Game 6 Wednesday night. And Carpenter, the former Cy Young Award winner and unchallenged ace of their rotation, did everything he could to make that happen. The veteran allowed just two runs on six hits in seven strong innings but left with the score tied at two. The Cardinals knew a typical Carpenter start would likely be the advantage they needed to return home just one win away from a World Series Championship. But that was before the offense left 12 runners on base, went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and missed on several prime scoring chances. Carpenter pitched well enough to win. The Cardinals bats kept him making it happen in a tough 4-2 loss to the Texas Rangers. "I felt like if we would just get a couple more runs there, the game was over," Carpenter said. "Only because I felt like my stuff was good and if you can pitch to a powerful lineup like these guys have and you don't have to worry about a solo homer or a two run homer. "If we're up 4-1, it turns into a different game. But that being said, their guys made good pitches. They did stuff to get out of serious jams. We continued to battle and work at-bats and start things, we just weren't able to capitalize." After his offense staked him to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning, Carpenter fell behind in the count 2-0 to ninth place hitter Mitch Moreland in the third. Quickly finding out the difference between American and National League lineups, Carpenter watched as the lefty turned on a fastball and launched it deep into the second deck in right to make it 2-1. Carpenter threw up scoreless frames in the fourth and fifth but still led by just a run after Matt Holliday grounded out with the bases loaded to end the fifth and Nick Punto struck out with two runners on to end the sixth. Pitching with no margin for error, Carpenter threw what he thought was a pretty good curveball to Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre with two outs in the sixth. But almost right on cue after the Cardinals couldn't add on in the sixth, Beltre launched a towering home run while falling to a knee to even the score at two. "The first one, a 2-0 fastball right in the middle of the plate, up out over him, right where he likes it," Carpenter said. "I felt like the curveball to Beltre was a pretty good pitch but good hitters are good hitters for a reason. "I threw a few curveballs to him the at-bat before and he didn't get to them. He got to this one and it wasn't a bad pitch. I don' t regret it, I wouldn't take it back. It is what it is - two solo homers." But Carpenter never should have had to be in that position. The Cardinals should have won Monday's game comfortably. Had they gotten just one more hit with runners in scoring position, the final score looks much different. Following two walks in the second inning, David Freese swung at the first pitch and popped up to right. When Lance Berkman was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs in the seventh, Freese again swung at the first pitch and again popped up to end the inning. Holliday had multiple chances to come through as well, grounding into an inning-ending double play with a runner on third base in the third inning and grounding out with two runners on to end the fifth. And in one of those outcomes that became more and more predictable as the missed chances mounted, the Cardinals bullpen allowed two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to account for the final outcome. Carpenter was handed a no decision for his efforts. He deserved to get a win. "I felt like I did the best I could," Carpenter said. "Our guys are giving it their best effort, just like I am. We've been doing it for a long time, that what got us here. It just didn't work out. We've got a big game coming up and we'll do the best we can and see what happens." And we may not have seen the last of the veteran right-hander. Should the Cardinals win Wednesday and force a Game 7, Carpenter said he'd be available to pitch in relief on two days rest. "Absolutely," Carpenter said. "I'm good. Whatever they need, I'll do. I don't care. I got two days rest. I'll be good to go to give them a little bit if they need it. Hopefully we get enough that we don't need it." With rain in the forecast for Game 6 Wednesday, Carpenter could potentially end up doing more than just pitch in relief. Should rain while out Game 6 and push it back a day, the right-hander would potentially be available to start Game 7 on three days rest. Asked if he was hoping for rain Wednesday, Carpenter only smiled. Everyone knew his answer.