An old ghost came back to haunt the Cardinals in last night’s 2-0 loss to the Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS Thursday night.

New York center fielder Carlos Beltran – who almost single-handedly eliminated the Cardinals in the 2004 NLCS while with the Astros – continued his destruction of the Redbirds pitching staff belting a two-run homer in the sixth inning that proved to be the difference.

Mets starter Tom Glavine extended his playoffs scoreless streak to 13 innings. The Cardinals only managed four hits and no runs off Glavine in seven innings. Guillermo Mota pitched a scoreless eighth. Closer Billy Wagner shut down the Cardinals in the ninth for his third save of the postseason.

Beltran and Glavine were not the only factors in the victory; the Mets did receive some heads up defense led by two inning-ending double plays and a spectacular catch by Endy Chavez.

The Cardinals did not get any production from the heart of its lineup. Albert Pujols, Juan Encarnacion, and Scott Rolen – the team’s 3-4-5 hitters – combined to go 0-for-10 with two walks in the game. Rolen has struggled this entire postseason going 1-for-14 with a painful shoulder injury.

The Cardinals will pitch Chris Carpenter in Game 2 Friday night. John Maine, a rookie right-hander, will be on the hill for the Mets.

Related web sites:
Cardinals Official Website