STL Today: With a show of force, Cards tie series

Photo by Chris Lee

BY DERRICK GOOLD

ST. LOUIS • They knew they had it in them.

After weeks of teasing and tormenting their manager who believed that his lineup was capable of doing so much more -- so much more consistently -- as an offense, the Cardinals flexed their might. In a show of unbridled and unrelenting offense, the Cardinals thumped the Washington Nationals, 12-4, to tie the National League division series at one game apiece.

The best-of-five series shifts to Washington for Game 3 on Wednesday.

The Cardinals drilled four home runs, including two from Carlos Beltran, and got a combined total of six RBIs from the top batters in the order, Beltran and leadoff man Jon Jay. Every starter for the Cardinals except for the pitcher, Jaime Garcia, scored a run. Every starter but Matt Holliday had a hit. As a lineup, they combined for a postseason record eight extra-base hits.

The 12 runs were the most scored by the Cardinals in a division series game since October 2002 when they hung a dozen on Arizona.

Washington used seven different pitchers to try and halt the offense.

Only one kept them without a hit.

Beltran clubbed two home runs... CLICK HERE for more