by Ben Donahue

While both Chicago teams failed to make the playoffs this year and are already preparing for next season, the baseball world will now be focused solely on the World Series.  This year’s World Series will feature the Texas Rangers representing the American League while the National League will be represented by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals have been a real surprise this October after having to climb back from a large deficit in the standings to snag the National League wild card berth on the last day of the regular season.  Since the playoffs began, the Cardinals have been on a tear while eliminating the Philadelphia Phillies who most experts had pegged as the team to beat in the National League.  Besides beating the Phillies, the Cardinals also upset the Milwaukee Brewers, which just happens to be the team that won the Cardinals division during the regular season.

On the other side, the Texas Rangers will represent the American League for the second straight year and must be considered the favorites to win this year after rolling through the Tampa Bay Rays in the wild card round and the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS.

This World Series should be extremely competitive but each team has to capitilize on their strengths for a chance to win the title.  Here are some things that each team excels at.

The Cardinals 3 keys to winning this series will be

1. The team has great starting pitching that has almost single handidly carried the Cardinals to theis point in the postseason.
2. The middle of the lineup must produce.  Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Lance Berkman need to come through for St. Louis if they want to produce a victory.
3. The Cardinals have displayed excellent defense and that must continue if they hope to hold the potent Texas bats at bay.

The Rangers 3 keys to winning this series will be

1. The bullpen must continue to dominate as it has all postseason long.  The depth of their bullpen is one of their greatest strengths and might be unmatched in all of major league baseball.
2. The consistency of the lineup must continue to put pressure on the Cardinals pitchers.  The everyday lineup in Texas is built around Josh Hamilton but his supporting cast is dangerous as well.  This series could hinge on the support Hamilton gets from Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, Mike Napoli, and Michael Young.
3. The Texas bench is deeper than St. Louis and could be a factor late in games especially in St. Louis where National league rules might lead to a lot of double switches.

Ben Donahue’s World Series prediction:  Texas wins in 5 games.