by Hannah Petrukovich

Here's a brief look at the matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals, the least likely team have been playing in the Fall Classic when September began, going up against the equally hot Texas Rangers

Offense
The  Rangers possess the most attacking offense with five players who hit at least 25 homers, including the white-hot Nelson Cruz, who could be considered a one-man SWAT team against the Tigers in the ALCS. Even though Michael Young didn’t hit 25 homers,  he nonetheless has batted  .388 and leads the club with 106 RBI’s. Texas can bludgeon opponents, but the Cardinals who often seem to be overlooked with the National Leagues’ best attack. They just toppled two of the game’s better rotations in ousting Philadelphia and Milwaukee.  NLCS MVP David Freese was on fire offensively in that series.

Defense
Both clubs have strong defensive players. Shortstops Elvis Andrus and Rafael Furcal have solid defense up the middle, and great speed to limit what gets through the infield. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, with his strong arm behind the plate, should limit the Rangers' opportunities to steal bases.

Start Pitching
When looking at the numbers, Chris Carpenter has a much better resume in the post season. He notched  a 7-2 record with a 3.11 earn run average. Compare that to Rangers' ace C.J. Wilson, who posted a 1-4 record with a 5.40 ERA. However, that should not take away a good regular season stint where Wilson went 16-7 and a 2.94 ERA. Both pitchers will have to deal with powerhouse lineups that are in the top five in run scoring in the majors.

These are two hot teams that played well in the seasons closing weeks. Both clubs will have to play harder tonight and with all their hearts.