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Tony La Russa’s call to arms falls on deaf ears

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Reporting from Arlington, Texas -- Mike Napoli’s game-winning double came off left-hander Marc Rzepczynski. But that wasn’t the matchup St. Louis wanted.

Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa said he wanted hard-throwing right-hander Jason Motte to pitch to Texas’ right-hand-hitting catcher, but when he called down to the bullpen, coach Derek Lilliquist misunderstood his instructions.

“They heard Rzepczynski and they didn’t hear Motte,” La Russa said. “And when I called back I said Motte, they heard [Lance] Lynn. So I went out there, wrong guy. It must [have] been loud. I give the fans credit.”

Lilliquist agreed, saying he didn’t hear Motte’s name during either phone call. La Russa said it’s happened before, just never in a World Series game.

“Sometimes [it’s] real loud, especially [with] some of the bullpens that are right amidst the fans and excitement,” he said. “It happens in Philadelphia. It’s hard to hear it there.

“So it’s not unusual. Maybe we need to come up with some ear mikes or something.”

The visitors’ bullpen at Rangers Ballpark is tucked behind the left-field wall between two banks of grandstands.

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During a series in Philadelphia, where the visitors’ bullpen is surrounded by fans, La Russa said the bullpen phone went out and the Cardinals used cellphones, which were later replaced by walkie-talkies.

“In a loud ballpark, it’s not an unusual problem,” he said.

A second opinion

The knock on Napoli when he was with the Angels was never about what he did at the plate but rather his play behind it.

However, Texas Manager Ron Washington has no problem with Napoli’s defensive skills.

“I’ve always admired the way he received when he was in Anaheim,” Washington said. “Watching him now on a daily basis, I know my thoughts of him were correct. He hasn’t proved me wrong in any respect as far as his game goes. He certainly knows how to play baseball, and he was taught well.”

In the four games Napoli has caught in the World Series, the Rangers’ team earned-run average is 1.29. And he has thrown out the only two Cardinals who have tried to steal against him.

In the only game he didn’t catch, the Cardinals scored 16 times.

Oh, what a relief

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With a perfect inning of relief, left-hander Darren Oliver earned the win Monday, giving the Rangers bullpen six of the team’s 10 postseason victories. Only the 2003 Florida Marlins, with seven, have gotten more victories from relief pitchers in a single postseason.

Oliver, who celebrated his 41st birthday earlier this month, is the third-oldest pitcher to win a World Series game. He is two years younger than Dolf Luque, who won Game 5 in 1933, and about 10 months younger than Kenny Rogers, who won Game 2 in 2006.

Weather or not

After dealing with cold, blustery, uncomfortable conditions in the first two games of the World Series, the Rangers and Cardinals enjoyed near-perfect weather during the three games in Texas. But they’d better remember to pack their jackets — and umbrellas — for the return to St. Louis. The forecast calls for an 80% chance of rain and temperatures in the lows 40s for the start of Game 6 on Wednesday.

kevin.baxter@latimes.com

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