Game 6 postponed; Berkman wonders why

Grounds crew at Busch Stadium pull the tarp onto the infield shortly after MLB announced that Game 6 of the World Series was postponed.

Major League Baseball announced that Game 6 of the World Series scheduled for tonight at Busch Stadium has been postponed and rescheduled for Thursday at 8:05 p.m. ET.

The threat of rain in the area and an improved forecast for the next two days were major factors in the decision, MLB announced in an e-mail.

Given the desire to play a game of this magnitude without interruption, and an outlook with better conditions over the next two nights, Major League Baseball, along with the Cardinals and the Rangers, determined that making the decision early would be the most prudent course of action to allow fans enough time to plan accordingly.

"We just didn't want to take a chance," said Joe Torre, MLB's Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations. "If the forecast wasn't good for tomorrow and Friday, then the chances are we'd probably wait a little longer."

Torre said he's a big believer in finishing a postseason game to its conclusion if it's started.

"As a manager, the last thing you want to do is get on the field and then all of a sudden if you have to pull the tarp and now your starter sits down and gets up -- we had a couple of experiences earlier this fall with some of those things. That's never fun."

But Cardinals right fielder Lance Berkman says the game should have been played Wednesday.

"I'm not even sure why they cancelled it. This is better weather than we had for Game 1, so I'm actually a little bit upset about it," he said, referring to the series opener in St. Louis when it was 49 degrees and windy at first pitch. "Heck, it's their call. We play when they tell us to play.

"I guess I'm going to go lay up on the couch like a big, fat pig and watch a movie or something."

While the postponement doesn't figure to affect the starting pitchers in Game 6 -- Colby Lewis for the Rangers and Jaime Garcia for the Cardinals -- the extra day of rest could have an impact on who starts (or is available in relief) for a potential Game 7 on Friday at 8:05 p.m. ET.

Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa said Tuesday that he and pitching coach Dave Duncan have "a really positive feel" about how they would use their pitching staff in a potential Game 7, but that "we need to get there first and then we can talk about it."

Reading between the lines, it could mean that Game 5 starter Chris Carpenter would be available on three days' rest.