Oswalt was up early. He kept busting the fastball. He got Pujols in the first coming up and in. He spun around and a check swing K in the 1st.
In the bottom the 2nd, with 2 outs Molina grounded past not so much a diving Berkman as a falling down Berkman. But Bidge made the play in the grass and made a surprisingly easy play to Sparky standing on the bag.
In the first couple innings the Astros hitters were a little tentative. But Brad, in the 3rd, came up hacking, taking a first pitch fast ball for the 1st of his 3 singles to left. Everett shoots a single to right, it?s a duplicate play of the one the Astros made in the bottom the 2nd. On this one Pujols diving, missed, Gz grabs it and throws, but Mulder is late to first and Everett is safe. First and second, no outs. Pettitte bunts to the pitcher. Mulder looks at third, Ausmus was a dead duck, he passes. Molina calls ?second!? Mulder goes to 1st. Runners 2nd and 3rd one out. Mulder skips the first pitch past a stabbing Molina and Ausmus, the first run scores. Craig Biggio lines a single to left and Everett, the second run scores.
Now Oswalt is in the zone. Pumping fastball after fastball. He?s up but the Cardinals can?t catch it. He got the lead early and went with his fastball challenging.
Top the 4th Jason Lane creamed a knee high fastball high and deep into the left field bleachers. Head down and sprinted, Astros up 3-0.
In the 5th, The Oswalt Inning Roy hits his second batter. Grudzielanek couldn?t dodge fast enough and gains first. Molina, inside out swinging, loops the first Cardinal single to right. 1st and 2nd no outs. Nunez is up. He hits a 1-2 high fastball back to the mound. Oswalt knocks it down, falls to his knees and throws to second.
Everett, diving to his left saves the errant throw, and sweeps a tag attempt at Molina. The ump calls him out. Replays show he was safe. The Astros have one out. Runners 1st and 3rd. Rodriguez sac flies to center scoring GZ, 3-1, Astros. Taveras hits the cutoff, keeping Nunez at first. Roy gets Eckstein on a knee high fastball looking to end the one and only threat.
The Astros roar back in the 6th. Burke leads off, now facing the reliever Thompson, with a solid single between ss and 3rd. Ausmus whacks his third single to right. Burke hustles round to third. Everett, in a cat and mouse atbat, works the count to 3-2 before pushing a bunt down the 3b line. Scoring Burke on the squeeze. 4-1 Astros.
Sparky clamps down in the bottom the 6th. Edmonds pops to short. Pujols grounds to Roy. Walker doubles to right. Then Sanders, who has been completely overmatched by Oswalts fastball, takes a called strike 3 at the knees.
Top the 7th Craig pulls a single to left. Taveras bunts him over. Flores comes in for Marquis turning Berkman around. He flies to right. Ensberg, now hitting against Taveraz, pops a single to center. The ball takes an odd bounce and clips off Edmonds glove. Biggio scores and Ensberg slides past the throw to 2nd. 5-1 Astros.
The 7th begins with Grizzly Adam diving behind 2nd, coming up with the ball, and throwing out Eye Chart. Nunez singles but Sparky, continuing to throw his ?I dare you to hit it fastball? ends the inning with a couple more groundballs.
Qualls came in for the 8th. He was throwing nasty darting whiffle ball sliders. He gets the tough inning. Eckstein grounds out, Edmonds Ks swinging, and Pujols grounds out to short. That was it.
Dot Wheeler comes in for the 9th.
Larry Walker takes a fastball strike, slider away, swinging 0-2. Fastball high, 1-2, in at the knees 2-2, then a fastball in at the knees, called strike three.
Mabry, high fastball, fouled off 0-1. Fastball darting to the outside corner, called 0-2. Missed off the corner 1-2. Change away, swinging K.
Grudzielanek extends the game by singling to left on an 0-1 fastball.
Molina, first pitch swinging, pops a lazy fly that lands safely into the waiting glove of Jason Lane.
Next game, it's the World Series, Saturday, in Chicago, 6:30 CDT.
