Before he pitched yesterday, I said I thought starting Rick Ankiel in game one was a good decision by Tony LaRussa. Ankiel completely fell apart, but that doesn’t make it a bad decision. It was still a well-reasoned and logical choice. It’s just a choice that backfired. It backfired badly. But, the Cardinals survived, and now they have their ace ready to go for game two, and can still bring Ankiel back for game four. And I hope LaRussa does bring Ankiel back. As bad as yesterday was, the Cardinals are going to need Rick Ankiel if they are going to advance through the post-season. So I say, let him get right back up on the horse for game 4. Of course, that’s getting ahead of ourselves, because there may not be a game four. The Cardinals were fortunate in Game one. The Braves nearly handed them six runs in the first inning yesterday. The St. Louis bullpen was terrific, and that’s what won the game. But tomorrow, the Cards need to go out and earn one, because I don’t think the Braves will be in a very giving mood.
