Beck shows promise; Redskins play déjà vu with another loss

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Updated:  October 27, 2011
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider

Game 5 saw the Rangers’ bats facing Chris Carpenter (3-0, 3.52 ERA) who gave them the competitive edge and heavy odds to take the lead in the World Series. While St. Louis took an early 2-1 lead, their weak bats, a botched hit and run call by Albert Pujols, and an embarrassing bullpen mix-up (the wrong pitcher took to the mound in the eighth and delivered the game winning homerun to red-hot Ranger Mike Napoli) left the Cardinals with a 4-2 loss and facing elimination going into Game 6.

Thanks to rain, both teams have had time to rest up before playing what could be the last game of the series in St. Louis. If the Cardinals’ bats can’t come alive tonight, they could be in for a long (and unwelcome) winter.

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In his first regular season start since 2007, John Beck was just what we expected he’d be: okay. He threw for almost 300 yards, with one TD and only had one interception. He even rushed for a TD early in the third quarter, which brought the Skins within three points of the Panthers. Unfortunately, surpassing rather low expectations didn’t do much for the Redskins on Sunday. Beck wasn’t able to direct his team to a scoring drive until it was too late; they were already trailing by 17 points.

What Beck was able to do was help the Redskins save face (sort of) and shorten the gap. He was better than Grossman, though by how much is up for debate. Still, in the disappointing 33-20 loss in Charlotte, Beck is not solely to blame. Washington’s biggest playmakers were sitting on the sidelines; Santana Moss was out with a broken left hand, London Fletcher with a pulled hamstring, and most devastatingly, starting running back Tim Hightower with a knee injury after being tackled in the third quarter. While Moss and Fletcher’s injuries aren’t expected to be serious, Hightower could be out for several weeks, if not, the rest of the season. Without Hightower yesterday, the run game was all but stalled, and in the end, it hurt them more than Beck’s mediocrity.

Losing to a 1-4 team seemed less embarrassing due to the fact that it was spearheaded by Cam Newton, this year’s No. 1 draft pick and last year’s Heisman Trophy winner. Newton ended the game with 256 passing yards and 56 rushing ones, which included his seventh rushing TD of the season. For the struggling Panthers, the game was a welcome win. For the Skins, who started 3-1 and yesterday fell to 3-3, it could be the start of an uphill battle. They’ll next face the red hot Bills and 49ers in consecutive weeks, and with mounting injuries and an inconsistent quarterback (or two), the Skins could see their playoff hopes dashed pretty quickly.
World Series

After splitting the first two games in St. Louis, the Cardinals and Rangers traveled to Arlington, Texas for the next three. Game 3 Saturday night was one of the most exciting games in recent history, with Albert Pujols headlining the show.

It all started with the now famous missed call at the top of the fourth inning, when Matt Holliday was called safe at first base, instead of clearly being out. Major League Baseball doesn’t implement instant replay and review the way the NFL does. If they did, the game might have swung a different way. Instead, first base umpire Ron Kulpa has come under fire for his missed call, and the Cardinals started a rally which ended with Albert Pujlos hitting three homeruns in a 16-7 blowout.

On Sunday night, Derek Holland silenced the Cardinals’ bats, including Pujlos’ in a 4-0 Texas shutout. Monday night marks the final game in Texas, and the tie-breaker for the teams who are once again even at two wins apiece.

In Game 5, the Rangers’ bats will face Chris Carpenter (3-0, 3.52 ERA), who gives the Cardinals the competitive edge and heavy odds to take the lead in the World Series. St. Louis will be facing C.J. Wilson (0-3, 7.17 ERA) and will no doubt be looking to extract some revenge for last night.

After the teams travel back to St. Louis, they will play perhaps their final games on Wednesday, though if the series so far is any indication, it will end in a Game 7 showdown.

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