David Eckstein singled on a 1-2 pitch. Jim Edmonds walked on a 3-1 pitch. Albert Pujols homered on a 0-1 pitch, and the Cardinals forced a sixth game in St. Louis with a 5-4 win.

The Astros had a full off day to deal with the anxieties and apprehensions triggered by the heartbreaking loss. The Astros were so disheartened that they won Game Six, 4-1, to reach the World Series.

Roy Oswalt had his second strong start of the series for the Astros in that decisive game, working seven innings. There is significance in that for the Rays and the Red Sox.

In baseball, the starting pitcher dictates momentum much more than the result of the previous game.

The Rays suffered a painful loss in Game 5, blowing a seven-run lead in the final three innings. It was, as the Rays pointed out, just one game, not the end of the season.

"You have to be able to regroup in this game," said Rays reliever Danny Wheeler, who was with the Astros in 2005. "We've already done that. We're ready to get back after it."

With righthander James "Big Game" Shields on the mound against Boston righthanderJosh Beckett, the pitching matchup means more to Saturday night's Game 6 at Tropicana Field than what happened on Thursday night at Fenway Park.

Boil it down to this: The Rays will match their most trusted starter against a less-than-full-throttle Beckett. It resembles Roy Oswalt against Mark Mulder in 2005.

For that reason alone, the Rays seemed relaxed and composed during a casual clubhouse gathering on Friday. Shields went as far as proclaiming the pressure is actually on the Red Sox because "they're the world champions, and we're the team that finished last a year ago. They're supposed to win."

Said Rays manager Joe Maddon: "I truly believe every moment is unique to your group. For us, we feel good about coming out (Saturday). We have everything set up appropriately."

That includes Shields pitching with extra rest at home, where he thrives, to compensate for a hard season. Wheeler said he has faith in all Rays' starters, but "there's no one I'd rather see out there" than Shields for what ranks as the biggest game in franchise history.

Shields, master of the changeup, went 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA after the All-Star break andhas had two good postseason starts. Including the postseason, he is 10-3 with a 2.66 ERA at home.

He will be pitching with seven days rest, the result of Maddon's rotation juggling. During the last two seasons, Shields is 3-1 with a 2.66 ERA when starting on six or more days rest.

"I kind of like where he's at now," Maddon said.

Shields is also ultra-competitive. That trait earned him the nickname "Big Game," from a minor-league teammate, who considered Shields the organization's version of "Big Game" James Worthy of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers.

Until this season, there have been few big games in which "Big Game" Shields could shine. He's in one now.

"I want to be that guy," Shields said. "This is the kind of game I've dreamed about since I was a little kid. I'm ready to take the next step in my career."

Beckett has been here before. He led Florida to a World Series win in 2003 and went 4-0 with a 1.20 in Boston's post-season romp last year.

This is not the same Beckett, whose latest velocity-sapping injury problem is a strained oblique muscle in the right side. Beckett said he has not changed his style, but the results have been dramatically different.

The Red Sox have lost both of Beckett's' starts in this postseason, and he has not made it past the fifth inning in either game. In Game 2 against the Rays, Beckett gave away three leads during the same inning in which he received them.

"He (Beckett) hasn't been able to get on that run," manager Terry Francona said. "That doesn't mean he won't. He's not going to forget how to compete. He's still Beckett."

Josh Beckett with a 92-mph fastball is not the same as Josh Beckett with a mean 97-mph fastball. Boston had a dramatic win in Game 5, but that will all be over when the starting pitchers take the mound on Saturday.