NLCS: What To Do About Brew Crew?

Molina (thinking): As empty a gesture as their trophy case.

I'm surprised how well that worked... o_O

So you are the Cardinals, and once again you lost the first game against your National League opponent in their stadium. As loud and raucous as the Milwaukee Brewers are, there is no denying their talent as well as their showcase in the pivotal performance in the fifth inning.

I don't know about manager Tony La Russa and his Cardinals' strategy, but I believe the Brewers want to win every inning of the game. Three of their starters pitched more than 200 innings + postseason this year (RHP Gallardo, RHP Marcum, LHP Wolf), and Zac Greinke still has lots of game left due to early stint on IR.

The hitters also like to extend the pitch count, and hit for the fences when they do. I'm no expert on the stacked bats of the Milwaukee Brewers, but this reminds me of the famous Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi: He deliberately arrived late for a duel, and used his opponent's already high emotional energy against him. Maybe the trick is not to beat Nyjer Morgan, Ryan Braun, or Prince Fielder, but to delay and stymie the Brew Crew to get the team out of rhythm. I am not a fan of the consistent gesturing, swagger, and curtain calls for every little thing; if you tried that stuff at Yankee Stadium the next batter would get a fastball in the back. Celebrate if you must, but win the game so it doesn't look so premature and foolish

For more on Game 1 of the NLCS and the series, check out MLB.com.