Cards three innings away from title
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chris Carpenter has worked through six 2 through six innings in Game 7 of the World Series.
A day after St. Louis' David Freese ended one of the most captivating games in the long, 107-year history of the Fall Classic with an 11th inning home run, the National League champions are taking control in the winner-take-all tilt.
The Cardinals padded their 3-2 lead with a pair of runs in the fifth despite not registering a hit. Scott Feldman, one of three Rangers pitchers to get hit with a blown save on Thursday, relieved Matt Harrison and filled the bases with a walk, a hit batsman and a two-out intentional free pass.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Feldman stayed in to face Yadier Molina and his payoff pitch was narrowly off the plate, forcing in Craig. C.J. Wilson, the starter in Games 1 and 5, entered from the bullpen and plunked Rafael Furcal with his first pitch. Albert Pujols, who reached base when Feldman's 0-2 pitch scraped his baggy jersey, scored for a 5-2 cushion.
Carpenter, pitching on three days' rest for the second time this postseason, recovered after yielding run-scoring doubles to Josh Hamilton and Michael Young in the first inning.
Texas could have had more in the at-bat, but Ian Kinsler was picked off first base by Molina following his leadoff single.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Freese, naturally, made it a brand new game in the bottom half.
Harrison, tasked with starting a deciding World Series game in the first postseason of his career, issued a pair of two-out walks to Pujols and Lance Berkman in front on Freese, who tied Game 6 with a two-run, ninth-inning triple before sealing the instant classic in the 11th.
Harrison grooved a payoff pitch to the cult hero, and Freese lined a gapper to left that scored both runners with ease, notching his 20th and 21st RBI of the postseason to set a new MLB record.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Carpenter stranded a pair in the second inning and retired the side in order in the third. In his other short-rest start, the veteran right-hander only lasted three innings in Game 2 of the NL Division Series against the Phillies.
In the home third, Craig gave St. Louis its first lead by sending a 3-2 pitch into the bullpen beyond the right-field wall for his third home run of the series.
Harrison's last inning saw him wiggle out of a jam after he gave up a pair of one-out singles. Skip Schumaker's groundout moved Molina and Furcal to second and third, respectively, only to have Carpenter step in and hit a harmless flyout to right.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kinsler singled past a diving Freese to open the fifth and was moved to second when Elvis Andrus sacrificed him over with a bunt. Hamilton then sent a fly ball to foul territory along the third-base side, and Freese made leaning grab at the railing of the Rangers' dugout.
Carpenter then struck out Young to end the inning, and received some help in his perfect sixth when Craig made a perfectly-timed leap at the left-field wall and steal a potential home run away from Nelson Cruz.
The Cardinals are seeking their 11th World Series title, while the Rangers are trying for their first just 24 hours after twice being one strike away from finally popping the celebratory champagne.