Rangers, Cardinals Tied 2-2 After 6 in Game 5

Mitch Moreland and Adrian Beltre hit solo home runs off Chris Carpenter, pulling the Texas Rangers into a 2-2 tie with the St. Louis Cardinals in World Series Game 5 on Monday night.

Trying to head home with a three-games-to-two lead, the Cardinals went ahead 2-0 in the second off a wild C.J. Wilson as Yadier Molina and Skip Schumaker drove in runs, but St. Louis was just 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners.

Carpenter, who beat Wilson in last week's opener, allowed six hits, struck out three and walked one as he tried to improve to 9-2 in his postseason career.

Moreland, in a 2-for-23 postseason slide, homered nearly halfway up the right-field second deck in the third inning. Beltre, 8 for 20 (.400) in the Series, sent a hanging breaking ball over the left-center field fence in the sixth.

Wilson avoided becoming the first pitcher to lose four games in a single postseason, giving up two runs — one earned — four hits and five walks in 5 1-3 innings. He threw just 57 of 108 pitches for strikes, went to three 3-0 counts (not including a pair of intentional walks to Albert Pujols) and walked 11 in his two Series starts. His 19 walks in a single postseason matched Jaret Wright's record from 1997.

Wilson's 11 walks were the most since Allie Reynolds had 11 for the 1951 Yankees, according to STATS LLC.

Seven of the Cardinals' 22 World Series runs reached on walks and another on a hit batter. In addition, the Rangers have made six errors that led to four unearned runs.

Still, Wilson stranded a runner at third in the third inning and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth. The Cardinals left runners at second and third when Scott Feldman struck out Nick Punto to end the sixth.

Then in the bottom half, Nelson Cruz and David Murphy singled following Beltre's homer and Mike Napoli hit a drive to center that Schumaker gloved on the warning track.

The Series is tied 2-2 for the first time since 2003. The Game 5 winner has gone on to the title in 27 of 41 previous times the teams have been 2-all — but just three of the last nine.

Just six teams trailing 3-2 swept the final two games on the road: the 1926 and 1934 Cardinals, the 1952 and 1958 New York Yankees, the 1968 Detroit Tigers and the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates.

This is the first time teams have alternated wins in the first four games since 1997, when Florida won Games 1, 3, 5 and 7 against Cleveland.

When the Series resumes Wednesday in St. Louis, Jaime Garcia starts for the Cardinals and Colby Lewis for the Rangers. The forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of rain.

Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman walked starting the second, and David Freese flied to short right field, with the runners holding. Molina singled into left field to put the Cardinals ahead, and Berkman advanced to third when Murphy bobbled the ball for an error.

Schumaker, starting because Jon Jay was 0 for 14, then grounded sharply to Moreland, who bobbled the ball and lost a chance for an inning-ending double play. Moreland recovered and stepped on first for the second out as Berkman scored. Punto then sliced a liner into left field, and Murphy made a fine, diving backhand catch. Already at first base, Punto kneeled and softly whacked his right thigh with the bat, as if to break it in frustration.

Rafael Furcal bunted to start the third and Wilson slipped coming off the mound, then bounced a backhand flip past Moreland as Furcal took second on what was ruled a hit and the Rangers' sixth error of the Series. Allen Craig sacrificed, Pujols was intentionally walked and Berkman grounded into a double play. Wilson led the majors by inducing 31 GIDPs.

Texas threatened to tie the score in the third after the homer by Moreland. Elvis Andrus bunted to the left side of the mound for a hit and Josh Hamilton singled into left, but Carpenter got Michael Young to ground to shortstop.

Schumaker singled leading off the fourth and Punto walked on four pitches. Furcal sacrificed, with the Rangers getting the out at first after Beltre turned to third, expecting Andrus to be there. Allen Craig struck out and, after the second intentional walk to Pujols, Holliday grounded to shortstop on Wilson's 100th pitch as red-clad fans stood and waved their white towels. That Holliday to 2 for 17 (.118) in the Series.

Furcal, who turned 34 Monday, had led off the game with a liner to Beltre, just as he did in Game 4. This was an easier play, with the third baseman not having to leap. Furcal turned and slashed his bat through the air in frustration.

Given a green light on a 3-0 count, Pujols flied to Hamilton in front of the warning track in center.