King Kaufman's Sports Daily

Cardinals take a 2-1 World Series lead as Carpenter dazzles Detroit. But enough rain could bring Smudgy Rogers back for Game 4.

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Oct. 25, 2006 | All you people who had Detroit in five, out of the pool.

Chris Carpenter mesmerized the Tigers for eight innings of Game 3 Tuesday and the St. Louis Cardinals took a 2-1 World Series lead by winning 5-0. Carpenter was even more dominant than Detroit's Kenny Rogers had been in Game 2, and he did it without benefit of Rogers' Smudge, which was seen enjoying the game in a luxury box with Billy Bob Thornton.

Carpenter's thumb was a lot cleaner than Rogers' had been, but he still had an issue with it. He said he got jammed when he popped out to end the Cardinals' two-run fourth and his right thumb felt funny after that. He did an odd little hop off the mound and examined his hand after throwing a pitch to get Placido Polanco on a lineout in the seventh inning. He got a visit from the trainer, the manager and the entire infield.

But he proclaimed himself fit without even trying a warmup throw and continued tossing his eight-inning, three-hit, no-walk, shutout outing. Braden Looper pitched an uneventful ninth.

For all the controversy of Game 2 in Detroit Sunday, there wasn't much intrigue to this one. Just a lot of dominant pitching by Carpenter, the likely repeat Cy Young winner. The Cardinals got all they needed when they got a pair off Detroit starter Nate Robertson in the fourth on two singles and two doubles, Jim Edmonds drilling a grounder just inside first for the runs.

They added two in the seventh when fireballing reliever Joel Zumaya walked the first two hitters, then made a colossal blunder on Albert Pujols' comebacker, trying to get the out at third and throwing wild. Both runs scored and the game was effectively over.

All you people who criticized Detroit manager Jim Leyland for using Todd Jones in the ninth inning Sunday instead of Zumaya, out of the pool.

Wait, that means me.

Another odd move by Leyland was not to use Jeremy Bonderman until Game 4. Bonderman had been Leyland's second-best starter over the month before the Series started, with five quality starts and a 3.38 earned-run average in his last six outings. Putting him at the back of the rotation made him the one Tigers starter who won't take the ball twice.

Next page: Even if it rains. A lot. Which it's supposed to. Plus: Zoom! Almost. And: An insight from McCarver