The National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals and the American League Champion Boston Red Sox are set to square off in the Fall Classic. The 2013 version is shaping up to be just that – a classic.
The teams finished with identical 97-65 records – both tops in their league. This will be the first time since 1999 that the World Series participants finished the regular season with the best records. The Series will feature two of baseball’s most iconic and decorated franchises. The Red Sox will be playing in their thirteenth World Series in franchise history. They have seven titles. The Cardinals will be playing in the Fall Classic for the nineteenth time. They have won it all eleven times – second most of all-time. The Cardinals and Red Sox are no strangers when it comes to meeting in October. The clubs tangled in 1946, 1967 and 2004. The Cardinals won the first two in seven games while the Red Sox swept the Cardinals in 2004.
As Game 1 gets closer, the storylines become more intriguing. How will the Cardinals’ young stable of arms hold up against the grinding Red Sox offense? The Red Sox grind out at-bat after at-bat on a nightly basis. Before the opposing pitcher knows what hit him, he’s up to 50 pitches after three innings. For the Cardinals’ starters, it’s imperative they find a way to get quicker outs. The Redbirds’ starting rotation tends to have low pitch counts. The Red Sox lineup sees more pitches per plate appearance than any team in baseball. Something has to give.
The Red Sox are also terrors on the bases – having stolen 123 bases during the regular season, while only being caught 19 times. That’s an astonishing 87% success rate. However, the Cardinals have the ultimate equalizer – catcher Yadier Molina. No catcher in the game neutralizes an opponents’ running game like Molina. He has thrown out just a shade over 45% of opposing base stealers in his career.
The Cardinals will celebrate the return of RBI man Allen Craig. The first baseman has been out of action since suffering a left-foot injury on September 4. He still managed to drive in 97 runs despite having only played in 134 games. The facet of the game that Craig has mastered is hitting with runners in scoring position. He hit an otherworldly .454 with runners in scoring position during the regular season and has an astounding .394 career mark. The Cardinals have activated Craig for the series. According to manager Mike Matheny, he will strictly use Craig as the designated hitter at Fenway Park and as a pinch hitter at Busch Stadium – he will not play in the field. A big concern, however, is the fact that Craig has not played in seven weeks. Playing in simulated games and facing batting practice is nowhere near the same as live, in-game pitching. Rust will most certainly be a factor.
Aces Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals and Jon Lester of the Red Sox will face off in Game 1. Both pitchers have fared well this postseason. Wainwright will try and keep Boston’s offense off balance will an assortment of curveballs to complement a plus fastball. Lester will go right after the Cardinals’ lineup with inside fastballs and disappearing sliders. The real intriguing matchup is Game 2. The Cardinals’ Michael Wacha is currently the hottest pitcher on the planet. The kid out of Texas A&M was just named the MVP of the National League Championship Series. He was one out away from pitching a no-hitter during his last start of the regular season. He followed that virtuoso performance up with a start against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Division Series in which he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. That was a clutch performance as the Cardinals were on the verge of elimination. Wacha is 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA in three starts this postseason. He has a .114 OPP AVG and an 0.57 WHIP. Simply astonishing. John Lackey of the Red Sox will start Game 2. Lackey struggled in his only start of he first round but pitched well in his one start against the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series. The Cardinals will likely round out their rotation with Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn while the Red Sox will most likely counter with Clay Buchholz and Jake Peavy.
Both clubs have solid bullpens. Both clubs are also on their third closer. The Red Sox broke camp in April with Joel Hanrahan as the closer. He got hurt and gave way to Andrew Bailey. Bailey got hurt and Koji Uehara took over the closers’ role and hasn’t looked back. He was named the MVP of the American League Championship Series with one win and three saves. The Cardinals arrived in Spring Training with Jason Motte as the closer. He injured his elbow and had Tommy John surgery. Edwin Mujica then took over as closer. He had a solid campaign but struggled mightily down the stretch. Hard throwing Trevor Rosenthal then inherited the job by default. He’s been lights-out ever since. With a 100-mph fastball and devastating slider to go along with pinpoint control, the Red Sox had better hope they have a lead going into the ninth inning.
One of the most clutch postseason performers of all-time gets his first chance at the World Series. Carlos Beltran burst into the national spotlight in 2004 with the Houston Astros. He hit eight home runs that postseason, leading the Astros to within one game of the World Series. Beltran’s career postseason numbers are quite impressive: .337/.449/.724 to go along with 16 home runs and 37 runs batted in. Game 1 will be the first World Series game in a career that commenced in 1999.
Xander Bogaerts will be a player to watch with the Red Sox. The 21-year old phenom has supplanted the struggling Will Middlebrooks at third base. Bogaerts had a number of key at-bats in the ALCS against the Tigers. His walk in the seventh inning of Game 6 helped set up Shane Victorino’s go-ahead grand slam. He reached base three times and scored two runs during that game. He has also shown an impeccable eye at the plate. Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington was wise in rebuffing teams that came calling, looking for the young Aruban at the trade deadline.
Game 1: St. Louis (Wainwright) @ Boston (Lester) Wednesday, October 23, 8:00pm
Game 2: St. Louis (Wacha) @ Boston (Lackey) Thursday, October 24, 8:00pm
Game 3: Boston (Buchholz) @ St. Louis (Kelly) Saturday, October 26, 8:00pm
Game 4: Boston (Peavy) @ St. Louis (Lynn) Sunday, October 27, 8:15pm
Game 5: Boston (Lester) @ St. Louis (Wainwright) Monday, October 28, 8:00pm (if necessary)
Game 6: St. Louis (Wacha) @ Boston (Lackey) Wednesday, October 30, 8:00pm (if necessary)
Game 7: St. Louis (Kelly) @ Boston (Buchholz) Thursday, October 31, 8:00pm (if necessary)
This should be a tight, evenly-matched series. The Red Sox must find a way to minimize the damage the Cardinals do with runners in scoring position – they are lethal in that department. The Cardinals must keep the Red Sox from running wild on the bases. It will be interesting to see how Wacha responds to pitching in a hitter-friendly park – he is scheduled to pitch Games 2 and 6 in Boston. The battle of the bullpens could be a battle of attrition. The Red Sox come into this series with an 0.84 bullpen ERA during the postseason while the Cardinals relievers’ sport a 1.80 ERA. The Cardinals’ overall team ERA this postseason is a sparkling 2.34. The Cardinals have the edge in pitching and a slight edge on offense. The X-factor will be Yadier Molina. If he shuts down the running game, the Red Sox will be hard pressed to rely solely on the long ball against the Cardinals pitching staff – starters or relievers. The Cardinals bullpen is NOT the Tigers bullpen.
Prediction: Cardinals in 7
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
