Monday, October 28, 2013

Game Five

Last game of the year in St. Louis.

Lineups:

BOSTON:
J. Ellsbury, cf
D. Pedroia, 2b
D. Ortiz, 1b
J. Gomes, lf
D. Nava, rf
X. Bogaerts, 3b
S. Drew, ss
D. Ross, c
J. Lester, p

ST. LOUIS:
M. Carpenter, 2b
S. Robinson, cf
M. Holliday, lf
C. Beltran, rf
Y. Molina, c
A. Craig, 1b
D. Freese, 3b
P. Kozma, ss
A. Wainwright, p

In the top of the first, Pedroia laced a double to left, and then trotted home when Joe Hardy (I mean David Ortiz) whistled a double down the first base line.  That was all Boston could get, and then the Cardinals went down 1-2-3 in the first. 

After 1:  Boston 1, St. Louis 0

Fangraphs isn't working properly, so I don't know Boston's chance of winning.  But it's better than
St. Louis's chance.

Any further thoughts will go into the comments.

23 comments:

  1. Adam Wainwright, who is St. Louis's ace, has struggled so far in this Series. But he strikes out the side in the second inning, and the good burghers of St. Louis are greatly heartened.

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  2. Beltran gets a lead-off double in the bottom of the second, but Molina strikes out and Craig hits into a double play.

    After 2: Boston 1, St. Louis 0

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  3. Boston goes down 1-2-3 in the third.

    Dan Schulman thinks St. Louis may have lost this game when it decided to pitch to David Ortiz in the first inning.

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  4. In the bottom of the third, Freese leads off with a single, moves to second on a bunt, and then stands there while Wainwright and Carpenter strike out. Carpenter was called out on a 3-2 pitch that he thought was Ball Four -- he headed off to first, only to hear the umpire call him out.

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  5. Ortiz leads off the 4th inning with a single. He is now batting .769 (10-13) in the World Series, with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. He has reached base on 9 consecutive at-bats.

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  6. Gomes flies out to left, Nava hits into a double play, and the BoSox are gone in the fourth.

    After 3 1/2: Boston 1, St. Louis 0

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  7. In the bottom of the fourth, Matt Holliday crushes a home run to center field -- the first home run the Cardinals have hit since the Series arrived in St. Louis. We are suddenly tied: St. Louis 1, Boston 1.

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  8. In the very next at-bat, Beltran blasts a shot to left that appears to be gone -- but it dies at the end, and Gomes catches it on the track.

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  9. And the Molina ends the inning with a screaming liner to left. It looks like a sure single, but Drew makes a spectacular leaping catch.

    After 4: St. Louis 1, Boston 1

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  10. In the top of the fifth, Bogaerts and Ross both single, so the Red Sox have runners on 1st and 2d with one out. Lester comes up to bunt, but cannot do so and strikes out.

    Now it's up to Jacoby Ellsbury (men on 1st and 2d, two out):

    Pitch 1 (0-0): Ball outside
    Pitch 2 (1-0): Foul
    Pitch 3 (1-1): Swinging strike
    Pitch 4 (1-2): Ball in the dirt
    Pitch 5 (2-2); Swinging strike three.

    So Wainwright gets out of the jam, and we are still tied 1-1.

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  11. Lester, who has been spectacular in this game, sets down the Cardinals 1-2-3 in the 5th.

    After 5: St. Louis 1, Boston 1

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  12. In the top of the 6th, Wainwright retires Pedroia, Ortiz (!) and Gomes in order.

    After 5 1/2: St. Louis 1, Boston 1

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  13. In the bottom of the 6th, the Cardinals go down 1-2-3.

    After 6: St. Louis 1, Boston 1

    Wainwright and Lester, the two aces, have been spectacular.

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  14. In the 7th, the Red Sox get a single from Bogaerts and a walk to Drew. So they have men on 1st and 2d with one out.

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  15. Ross laces a ground rule double down the left field line! Bogaerts scores, and the Red Sox have men on second and third with one out.

    Boston 2, St. Louis 1

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  16. Lester, who has been so good that the Red Sox don't want to pull him, bats for himself and taps back to the pitcher.

    Two out, and it's up to Ellsbury.

    Wainwright v. Ellsbury (men on 2d and 3d, two out):

    Pitch 1 (0-0): Swinging strike
    Pitch 2 (0-1): Ellsbury hits a sinking liner for a single. Drew scores. Ross is thrown out at the plate to end the inning -- which was really a mistake with Pedroia coming up next and Wainwright on the ropes.

    Still, Boston gets two runs from a bunch of folks who have not done much offensively. Last night they got a three-run homer for Jonny Gomes, and that's his only hit of the Series. That is winning baseball.

    After 6 1/2: Boston 3, St. Louis 1

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  17. Wainwright was great tonight -- just as Wacha was in Game Two. But the Red Sox just keep making you work and work, and eventually they break through.

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  18. Lester mows down the Cardinals 1-2-3 in the 7th. He's only thrown 81 pitches. Wainwright has thrown 107.

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  19. Carlos Martinez pitches the 8th for St. Louis and he retires the Bostons without allowing a run -- although David Ortiz gets yet another single.

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  20. With one out in the bottom of the 8th, David Freese hits a double down the right field line. Kozma flies out to left for the second out. The Cardinals are going to send up Matt Adams to pinch-hit for the pitcher. Adams has been pretty dreadful, and Lester has been amazingly good. But Boston is going to pull Lester and bring in Koji Uehara.

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  21. Dan Schulman thinks this is an odd move, as Adams and Lester are both lefties, and Uehara is a righty.

    Adams is 3-17 in the Series so far, so I don't expect Uehara to have too much trouble with him.

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  22. I am right, as Uehara strikes out Adams on three pitches. Boston's pitching staff is just too good for St. Louis.

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  23. The Cardinals went 57-27 at Busch this year, but they are about to go 1-2 there in the World Series.

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