Game 1 of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers is just a mere four hours away, and Ron Washington has announced his starting lineup.
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Elvis Andrus, SS
Josh Hamilton, CF
Michael Young, 1B
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Nelson Cruz, RF
Mike Napoli, C
David Murphy, LF
C.J. Wilson, SP
Washington hinted yesterday that he might move Cruz up in the lineup... and he did. Except he moved him up only one spot.
Since Game 1 is in St. Louis, there's no DH. So Rangers fans will have to deal with Young at first base, for better or for worse. Obviously, Wilson will be batting as well.
Texas' lineup is certainly deeper than the one Carpenter and the Cardinals faced in the NLCS when they defeated the Brewers, but the Rangers will still need players not named Nelson Cruz to step up.