The World Series is here. It’s a
rematch up of 2004, with the AL Champion, the Boston Red Sox, taking on the NL
Champion, the St. Louis Cardinals. Because the AL won the all-star game, the
series will start in Boston.
Things are much different from
2004, as that’s unbelievably nine years ago today (I feel old). Just two days
ago was Game 7 of that miraculous Yankee-Red Sox ALCS nine years ago, in what
was the greatest championship series of all time. In 2004, the series looked
much different, and the Red Sox somehow swept the Cards.
This will be the fourth time these
two teams meet in the fall classic, the last one being ’04, and before in 1967
and 1946. Though the Red Sox took 2004, the Cardinals won the 1946 title with
Ted Williams and Stan Musial, and 1967 with Bob Gibson.
That St. Louis team had one of the
best offenses in baseball, having the Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, and Scott
Rolen trio. They had Chris Carpenter as the ace and Jason Isringhausen in the
closing role. We all know how Boston got to the World Series that year, but the
Cardinals got there in dramatic fashion too. Edmonds hit a walk-off in Game 6
over the Houston Astros to force a Game 7.
I still don’t know how they won
Game 7 either; it was Jeff Suppan against Roger Clemens. They should have
gotten owned.
But the past is the past. Now it’s
the time for the Cardinals to get their revenge, and the Red Sox to even up the
series.
The Cardinals enter the World
Series with positives. Allen Craig, who was sidelined for the 2nd
half of the season, returns to the lineup and will most likely play DH. This is
huge, as Craig led the MLB with average w/RISP. Now they add one more to a team
that can add a guy like Jon Jay or Matt Adams to a mediocre bench. They also
have a dominant starting lineup with Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha as the
sensations.
The problems with the Cardinals:
Centerfield and starting pitching. These aren’t too bad of problems to worry
about, but they still are a problem. Jon Jay, the starting CF for the Cards,
played weak in the NLCS, both offensively and defensively. With a Red Sox club
filled with lefthanders, he will have quite a problem. They have Shane Robinson
as a backup, who filled quite the duty in the NLCS.
The Red Sox were able to run up the
pitch count against a scary Detroit Tigers starting rotation. This can really
hurt the Cardinals if Wainwright or Wacha can’t go seven. Even Lance Lynn and
Joe Kelly played almost too much in the postseason thus far. The bullpen, which
is very strong, will need to step up.
Here are the problems with the Red
Sox:
DH. When the series moves to St. Louis,
who will take first base, David Ortiz or Mike Napoli? Both were incredible in the
ALCS, but they can only play one spot now. Napoli used to catch, but his knees
are showing that he can’t do that anymore.
After Game 1, it looked like the
Tigers would’ve swept the Red Sox. Boston only put up one hit, and got
embarrassed. It also looked like they would lose Game 2, but they pulled that
one off miraculously. The hitting cannot go cold. The Tigers have a much better
starting rotation than the Cardinals, but anything is possible. They need to
work the pitch count and get on base, or else this series is over.
Let’s break it down position by
position. Which team has the advantage?
First Base: Red Sox
No matter if they use Big Papi or
Napoli, both have proven themselves way better than Matt Adams. Boston has this
spot in the bag.
Second Base: Red Sox
This spot is really tough. It’s
Boston’s Dustin Pedroia vs. St. Louis’ Matt Carpenter. I like Pedroia because of
his defensive capabilities, but Carpenter is just up there. This one can go either
way, and I really want to see who can perform better this series.
Third Base: Cardinals
David Freese was the hero in the
2011 World Series vs. the Rangers. Can he do it again? Props to the rookie
Xander Bogaerts, but Freese is just superb.
Shortstop: Red Sox
Stephen Drew had a poor outing in
the ALCS. But Pete Kozma didn’t do much better. Drew has much better stats in
the regular season than Kozma too, so I like the Red Sox here.
OF: Cardinals
The speedy Shane Victorino and
Jacoby Ellsbury will have problems stealing with Yadier Molina back there. Like
I mentioned before, the centerfield spot is an issue for the Cardinals, but I
like the veterans in Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday. It’ll be Beltran’s first
World Series in his amazing postseason career – I’d like to see how well he
does.
Catching: Cardinals
I like how the Red Sox can switch
between Jarrod Saltalamaccia and David Ross in the catching spot, but Yadier
Molina is just better. Plus he is an amazing defensive player, and will be able
to strike down the speedy Red Sox club. The Red Sox have stolen more bases this
postseason than any other team by far, and Yadi will try to stop that.
Starting: Red Sox
John Lackey really proved to me how
well he can be in that Game 3 of the ALCS. With Jon Lester, Clay Bucholz, and
Jake Peavy, they have a much even starting rotation. Adam Wainwright for the
Cardinals might be the best, and Wacha is really showing how well he can be,
but the Red Sox can outduel the 3 and 4 guys, Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn.
Set-Up Relief: Cardinals
The Red Sox have Craig Breslow and
Junichi Tazawa in relief, and have done superb in the postseason, but they don’t
have much depth after that. The Cardinals have set-up men that throw in the 100’s.
I really like Kevin Siegrist, their lefty set-up man. Watch him come in to take
care of guys like Ortiz.
Closing: Red Sox
There’s a reason why Koji Uehara
won the ALCS MVP. He’s proven to be one of, if not the, best relievers in
baseball. The strength in Trevor Rosenthal is great, but Uehara is just
dominant.
Overall: Red Sox
It won’t be easy; this series will
go into Game 6 or 7. But I have a feeling that home field advantage, plus the
ruthless offense and a dominant relief, the Red Sox will take this one. Whoever
wins, it’ll be their third World Series title in the last ten years.
Game 1 will be tonight at 6:30 PM CT, with Adam Wainwright against Jon Lester. Looks like the series will start with a pitching duel.
SIDE NOTE: Tim Lincecum signs a 2
year, $35 million contract with the Giants. That’s an absurd amount of money
for him. More on that later.
Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any
questions/comments/concerns.
-Evan Boyd
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