St. Louis Cardinals vs. Boston Red Sox
Game 1: Wednesday, October 23rd, at 8:07 PM
At Fenway Park
Projected Starters:
Adam Wainwright (2-1, 1.57 ERA)
vs.
Jon Lester (2-1, 2.33 ERA)
Game 2: Thursday, October 24th, at 8:07 PM
At Fenway Park
Projected Starters:
Michael Wacha (3-0, 0.43 ERA)
vs.
Clay Buchholz (0-0 5.40 ERA)
Game 3: Saturday, October 26th, 8:07 PM
At Busch Stadium
John Lackey (2-0, 3.00)
vs.
Joe Kelly (0-1, 4.41)
Game 4: Sunday, October 27th, at 8:15 PM
At Busch Stadium
Game 5: Monday, October 28th, at 8:07 PM*
At Busch Stadium
Game 6: Wednesday, October 30th, at 8:07 PM*
At Fenway Park
Game 7: Thursday, October 31st, at 8:07 PM*
At Fenway Park
(*If necessary)
The Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals will meet in the 2013 World Series. These two storied franchises, sharing 18 World Series titles over their expansive history, have met in the fall classic three times in their history before this year, with the Cardinals winning 2 of 3. Both franchises have been dominant of late, appearing in 5 of the last 10 World Series appearances and meeting in 2004. It is the first time since 1995 where the two teams with the best records in their league meet in the World Series.
What do the Cardinals need to do to win the World Series? The Cardinals need to take advantage of the Red Sox’s offensive struggles. After batting .206 in the ALCS, it seems like the Sox won despite their hitting, rather than because of it. Without grand slams from David Ortiz and Shane Victorino in the seventh inning of games three and six respectively, we could have seen a completely different World Series matchup. The Cardinals posted an unbelievable 2.09 ERA in the NLCS, so as long as they keep that up, shutting down the Red Sox offense could be an achievable task.
However, the Cardinals offense has been almost as anemic as the Red Sox’s, as they hit an abysmal .212 against the Dodgers. While it would be a fantastic story, Carlos Beltran cannot carry the Cardinals to a World Series victory by himself. Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina, and Matt Carpenter need to step up and hit around the most prolific playoff performer in history not named Lou Gehrig or Babe Ruth. If the Cardinals score early against the Red Sox starters, and tax the Sox’s excellent bullpen, the Cardinals can, and will, win this series.
What do the Red Sox need to do to win the World Series? Just as the Cardinals need to do, the Red Sox need to prolong the struggles of the Cardinals’ offense. Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday have been nearly non-existent all postseason, leaving Carlos Beltran to carry the Redbirds’ offense. The return of Allen Craig will certainly help the Cardinals’ offense, but his ability to perform after missing almost 50 days with a foot injury is still in question. Limiting the Cardinals offense could be a struggle, but the Red Sox did pitch well against the Tigers, limiting them to a team batting average of .254.
One pivotal aspect of the series will most likely be the performance of RHP Jake Peavy. Against Detroit in the League Championship Series, Peavy gave up 7 runs on 5 hits in 3.0 innings pitched. The Red Sox traded for Peavy for one reason, and that reason was to have a gritty veteran in their rotation come postseason time. Now is the time for Peavy to validate his spot on the Sox roster.
The Cardinals offense can be explosive, as they led the National League in runs scored. It is imperative for the Red Sox starters to keep the Cardinals in check for six innings to give their struggling offense a chance, and to give their excellent bullpen the ball with the lead. While we all love go-ahead grand slams hit by men with unnecessarily large beards, the Red Sox cannot rely on the longball now, and instead need to do what they’ve done all season: get on base any way possible, find your way into scoring position, and get the clutch hit.
Gritty baseball wins in the postseason, and the Red Sox play gritty baseball. The Red Sox can win this series, but they’re starters need to keep the Cardinals in check long enough to hand the ball to the bullpen in the seventh.
The Prediction: The Cardinals’ excellent starting pitching, led by Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, and Lance Lynn, is too much for the sputtering Red Sox offense to handle. The Cardinals defeat the Red Sox 4-2, and win their second World Series in four years.