Erstwhile postseason hero David Freese was the latest St. Louis Cardinals star to make a brutal error in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, allowing the Texas Rangers yet another one-run lead an inning after the Cardinals had recovered from Matt Holliday's error. Freese dropped a routine pop-up to start the fifth inning, and the run scored almost immediately afterward on a Michael Young hit. That left the score at 4-3, the Cardinals unable once again to capitalize on another chance to staunch the bleeding of their increasingly shaky pitching staff.

The Cardinals' defense is just one of a number of pieces that will have to recover from its early slumber if the team is to stave off elimination for another day. For now, they aren't playing like a postseason team, let alone a World Series contender—let alone the team that won 16-7 in the Ballpark in Arlington. 

They've got half their innings left to go, but they'll need to start now.