Who knows if James Baldwin is watching baseball games these days. He seemed like a man ready to get away from his sport when he headed into the Seattle night last weekend.
But if Baldwin happened to glance at Game 3 of the the National League Championship Series, he would have recognized the look of grim determination on Andy Benes’ face. It was the same one Baldwin wore in his unbelievably strong start against the Mariners, the mask that hides the pain.
As was the White Sox’s Baldwin, Benes is trying to get his team to the World Series despite an injury that is overdue for surgical repair. He has fluid drained off his right knee before every start–words that hurt just to type–and then gets fitted into a brace that tricks him into thinking it is strong enough for the job at hand.
Benes, winless in his six previous playoff starts, went through that routine early Saturday afternoon at Shea Stadium. Then he breathed new life into the St. Louis Cardinals. He made a 2-0 lead in the first inning stand up through the eighth, holding the New York Mets to two runs.
“We’re paid to go out and do the best we can to locate our pitches and to compete,” the 33-year-old Benes said after the 8-2 victory. “At this point, I feel very thankful that I’m even able to compete because of my knee problem.”
It isn’t likely to get any easier. The Cardinals’ victory reduced the Mets’ lead in the best-of-seven series to two games to one. But because of Rick Ankiel’s meltdown and an elbow injury to Garrett Stephenson, St. Louis manager Tony La Russa may have to ask Benes to work on three days’ rest if there is a Game 6.
“I was excited they decided to pitch me today,” said Benes, who was completely bypassed by Buck Showalter after helping Arizona reach the postseason last year. “Whenever they want me is fine. Whenever they decide that they need me, I’ll be available.”
While the euphoria of a two-game sweep at Busch Stadium is largely gone, the Mets are still in control of this series. That’s mostly because of the Cardinals’ deteriorating starting rotation.
Bobby Valentine plans to use his four-man rotation in order, meaning that Mike Hampton and Al Leiter will have full rest for their starts in Game 5 and 6.
La Russa is going with 20-game winner Darryl Kile on three days’ rest Sunday and is prepared to bring him back again on short rest if the series is extended to seven games.
Pitching fully rested is hard enough in the postseason. Pitchers put more effort into all of their pitches in playoff situations, causing them to run out of gas sooner than normal.
But you couldn’t tell it watching Baldwin in the third game of the Division Series. That was just as true watching Benes on Saturday.
Both of them found ways to compensate for being less than 100 percent. Instead of rearing back and firing fastballs, they focused on how they were going to attack each hitter. They may have pitched better than they would have if they were healthy.
Baldwin still doesn’t know the extent of the damage in his shoulder. He will visit Dr. James Andrews this week and is expected to need surgery to repair a fraying of the rotator cuff, if not a tear.
Baldwin’s effort against the Mariners was nothing short of heroic. He held Seattle to one run and three hits in six innings, leaving with the game tied 1-1.
There’s no question this performance did not receive the attention outside the White Sox clubhouse that it deserved. It was lost in the wake of a 2-1 defeat and a Seattle sweep.
Benes, on the other hand, could wind up as a St. Louis legend if the Cardinals can somehow come back and knock off the Mets. La Russa says Benes has already given more than could be expected after he tore the cartilage in his right knee in mid-August.
“I don’t know that there are a lot of pitchers who wouldn’t shut it down [for the season] with the way his knee was swelling, the discomfort,” La Russa said. “He pitched a lot of starts. But to do what he did today, this is a terrific mark. Heck, this gave us a chance in this series.”
Benes says he has become accustomed to the routine of pitching without the power that normally comes from pushing off the rubber with his right leg. The brace helps but doesn’t always protect him from the pain of bone grinding against bone.
“There was only one time during the course of the game that it really bothered me,” Benes said. “I threw a pitch to [Mike] Bordick and it kind of grabbed me. I had to take some time, take a deep breath.”
In the fourth inning, it was Benes’ teammates who were trying to catch their breaths. The pitcher, an .080 hitter, had singled to left field off Rick Reed.
He went to second on Fernando Vina’s single and then came in to score on another single, this one by Edgar Renteria. He dove into the plate headfirst.
“That was a little scary,” St. Louis first baseman Will Clark said. “You don’t like to see anybody slide headfirst, much less your starting pitcher.”
Benes was none the worse for the additional wear and tear. Whether he stopped at third or rolled across the plate, he was going to have to have surgery. He just hopes he can keep putting it off a little longer.
