Setting the stage

Just as everybody predicted, the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals are set to clash in the World Series.

Umm, not quite.

That the American League champion Rangers have gotten this far is no big surprise, as they easily won the West at 96-66 and finished a mere game behind the New York Yankees for the best record in the junior circuit.

But the National League champion Cardinals are a different story, sneaking into the playoffs on the final day of the season with the eighth-best record in baseball at 90-72 thanks in large part to the Atlanta Braves' stunning September collapse.

En route they knocked off the Philadelphia Phillies, baseball's best regular season team at 102-60, and the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers, who were also 96-66 to tie Texas for the third-best mark in the majors.

Now the Cardinals host Games 1 and 2 of the 107th Fall Classic at Busch Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday, a matchup with no shortage of intriguing storylines.

Albert's last hurrah?: The looming free agency of slugger Albert Pujols has hung over the Cardinals all year, and drove them to bulk up in July to try and make a run with the big guy still in their lineup. It worked and now they're four wins away from a championship, which would only add to what already is a very advantageous negotiating position for the three-time MVP.

Young again: Pushed from his spot on the hot corner by the free agent addition of Adrian Beltre and upset at the way management handled the issue, Michael Young and the Rangers nearly parted ways during the off-season. Instead, he stayed, the relationship mended, and he turned in a phenomenal season as a super utility man and DH. A World Series title would be a just reward for Young's selflessness.

Lean on us: To say the Cardinals rely on their bullpen is an understatement. In the six-game NLCS win over the Brewers, their starters averaged a mere four innings per start and logged just 24.1 of a possible 53 innings, allowing 19 runs over that span. Their relievers were more than up to the task, allowing just seven runs in 28.2 frames. Still, the Rangers have a deeper lineup than the Brewers and manager Tony La Russa will need more from his starters to keep games from getting out of hand.

And he's not starting because?: The Rangers have been heavily reliant on their bullpen too, and where would they be without Alexei Ogando? The hard-throwing righty won two games out of the bullpen during the ALCS, and logged 7.2 innings, more than everyone except for struggling ace C.J. Wilson. Ogando posted an ERA of 3.51, with a WHIP of 1.14 and 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings during an all-star regular season, and while he's been a weapon out of the playoff pen, starting him might be a better use of that resource. Discuss.

Worth the wait: The old men of the Cardinals bullpen, lefty Arthur Rhodes and righty Octavio Dotel, have waited a long time to get to their first World Series. Rhodes, who joined St. Louis after the Rangers released him Aug. 8, is on his ninth team over 20 seasons, while Dotel has played for 12 teams over 13 seasons, five of them over the past two years. They will no doubt find more of an appreciation for the coming events than most.

Josh's journey: Josh Hamilton is back in the World Series for a second straight season, and for someone who's overcome drug addiction, this year has posed its own unique challenges for the star outfielder. The primary one was the tragic death of fan Shannon Stone, who fell from the stands trying to catch a ball Hamilton had thrown to him, and died from his injuries. Hamilton could hear Stone's six-year-old son Cooper yelling for his dad after the fall, and Hamilton has had to live with that since. The family has praised both Hamilton and the Rangers for their compassion, and Cooper threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game 1 of the division series against Tampa Bay. Through it all, Hamilton has continued to perform, and is on the cusp of a championship.

Freese vs. Cruz: There are some bad puns to be found here for sure but we're going to stay away from those. Simply, David Freese of the Cardinals and Nelson Cruz of the Rangers are both red hot after securing MVP honours in the last round, and will both give the other team something to think about. Freese batted .545 with three homers and nine RBIs while Cruz hit .364 with six homers, two of them walkoff winners, and 13 RBIs. So, who's got an encore for that?

Shi Davidi is the MLB Insider for sportsnet.ca. Come back to read his insight and opinion regularly.