By the end of the day the Cardinals could be completely in command of their playoff series with Atlanta. Cardinal ace Darryl Kile gets the start in game 2 this afternoon, but Atlanta’s starter is no slouch. Both Kile and Tom Glavine won 20 games this season. Glavine has tons of playoff experience, while Kile has just one playoff start. He lost to Greg Maddux and the Braves 2-1 in 1997, when he pitched for Houston. Cards manager Tony LaRussa says he plans to start Eric Davis in right field against the lefty, and says Placido Polanco, after getting three hits in game one, will probably start game two at third base. The Cardinals and Braves may be battling the weather all day long. The forecast calls for rain throughout the day in St. Louis, with the temperature dropping. If the game were rained out, LaRussa’s strategy of pitching Rick Ankiel in game one would be foiled because Darryl Kile would then only be able to start once in the series.
