Rainout will impact Series? Anybody's guess

ST. LOUIS -- The skies will clear, presumably, and Game 6 of the World Series will be played, belatedly.

Somehow, some way, it won't play out Thursday exactly the way it would have on Wednesday. Some element of the conditions -- be it the direction of the wind, the noise of the crowd, the pace of the proceedings or the even the effects of the pregame spread -- will be just different enough to affect what happens on the field, in some fashion.

To what degree will the fates change, and whom will they benefit?

Well, you'd have better luck predicting the weather than you would predicting this sort of thing, but that didn't prevent the question from hanging in the air following Wednesday's announcement about the Game 6 postponement.

"I don't think it favors anybody," said Michael Young, whose Rangers hold the 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Series. "Both teams are going to be ready."

Perhaps Young's synopsis of the situation is true. But the outlook, at least, is undoubtedly different, should this Fall Classic go the distance.

As a result of the rain and the extra day of rest, both Ron Washington and Tony La Russa will have stacked bullpens and their ace starters at their disposal. Both C.J. Wilson and Chris Carpenter would be available in a Game 7 on three days' rest.

Washington has made it clear he will stick with Matt Harrison, who gave up five runs (three earned) in 3 2/3 innings in Game 3, as his Game 7 starter, should the Series reach that point.

"Harrison has been a big part of this team all year," Washington said, forcefully. "I am not changing the things that I've been doing all year. That's why we are where we are, and that's why I'm saying Harrison."

La Russa, on the other hand, hasn't revealed his plans for a Game 7. He joked that if Major League Baseball requires him to send the next day's starting pitcher to the interview room before Game 6, he'll send Bob Gibson, if he's around.

Initially, La Russa said there is "no chance" he'll use Carpenter in Game 6 on two days' rest, before quickly changing that response to "little chance." More likely, though, La Russa will consider his ace for Game 7.

"Three days' rest, I mean, already done that," La Russa said. "So we'd all feel better about [Game] 7 if we needed him."

The rain, then, presents the possibility for a major strategic shift for the Cards. Game 7 would be Kyle Lohse's turn in the rotation, but he's got a 7.82 ERA in three starts this postseason. La Russa said he'll be available out of the 'pen in Game 6. Edwin Jackson and Jake Westbrook would both be rested and ready for Game 7, if La Russa went that route. But Carpenter, obviously, is the most intriguing option. He is 3-0 with a 3.30 ERA in five starts this postseason, and he made it clear to La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan that he'll be ready to go Friday.

Carpenter, for what it's worth, started on three days' rest for the first time in his career in Game 2 against the Phillies in the National League Division Series. It did not go well. He allowed four runs on five hits over just three innings of work, though the Cards still managed to pull out the victory.

La Russa will have to consider that precedent if this Series reaches that point. For now, he's purely focused on Game 6, and he's not going to save any available bullets in an elimination game, if it's close.

"Depending on the score," he said, "if we were lucky enough or good enough to get up there, then you could save some protection for the next day."

The Rangers are similarly well-supplied, as a result of the rain, for the all-hands-on-deck affair that is a Game 7. Both Wilson and Derek Holland, who tossed 8 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 4, would be available in relief in a Game 7, and they both have experience in that area. In fact, relief was Holland's role just last October.

"It helps tremendously," Washington said of Holland's experience, "because he has pitched in that spot before, so it won't be anything that he has to search for. He knows what he has to do to get loose, and he won't come in and be in awe of what's going on."

Holland, though, gave up six runs in 11 1/3 innings over six appearances out of the 'pen last October.

Given that he pitched on Sunday, Holland could also be eligible to come on in relief in Game 6. But because it's not an elimination game for the Rangers, that would probably only be a "break glass in case of emergency" situation.

So, what did the rain mean for Game 6?

Well, it means both Jaime Garcia and Colby Lewis will take the mound with an extra day of rest behind them. If history is any indication whatsoever (and, admittedly, it might not be), that could favor the Cards.

Garcia made four starts on six days' rest or more this season, according to baseball-reference.com, and he went 3-1 with a sparkling 1.61 ERA. By comparison, he was 4-3 with a 3.80 ERA on five days' rest, which is what he would have had, had Game 6 been played Wednesday.

Lewis, on the other hand, made six starts on six days' rest or more this year, and he went 4-2, but with a 6.00 ERA. On five days' rest, he was 5-2 with a 3.83 ERA in nine starts.

Maybe the above means nothing; maybe it means everything. We'll find out for sure on Thursday night.

We'll also find out if the extra day provided any benefits for all the banged-up bodies taking the field this time of year. No one has looked more banged-up in this Series than Josh Hamilton, who reportedly could need offseason surgery for a sports hernia.

Washington was asked if the extra day will help Hamilton.

"Any time you're dealing with nagging injuries, any time you can get a break, it's a positive," Washington said. "How positive, I really don't know, because it's not going to be easy trying to deal with Jaime Garcia. But any time he can get a day off, it is beneficial. So we'll know more [Thursday] by how he reacts when the game starts."

Game 6 won't start on the same day as initially intended, and somehow, some way, that will have an impact. We don't know how much of one, but we do know that both these clubs will be well-rested, for better or worse.