The Boston Red Sox won Game 5 behind Jon Lester and their timely hitting. They defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 in a game that truly proved to be a pitchers' duel. Lester won his second game of the series as he once again shutdown a helpless Cardinals' lineup.
Lester went 7.2 innings, striking out seven, allowing one earned run on four hits. It did not take him long to settle in as the Red Sox's lineup immediately struck against Cardinals' starter, Adam Wainwright
The Red Sox immediately jumped all over Wainwright, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. It seemed as though the Red Sox were pretty comfortable facing Wainwright, but it did not go their way for too long. Wainwright got his command and patiently waited for run support that never showed up. He finished the night after pitching seven innings of three-run baseball. It was not a horrible outing, but Wainwright lost his third consecutive start in the playoffs.
Matt Holliday went deep once again in the World Series, but it was, again, a solo shot. Jon Lester was absolutely phenomenal, continuing his domination in the postseason, specifically in the World Series. He gave John Farrell and the Red Sox bullpen just what they needed, a ton of innings.
Lester hung in there until his offense responded. It took an unlikely hit from David Ross, who smacked a double down the line, scoring Xander Bogaerts who went 2-4 in this game. Jacoby Ellsbury smacked a two-out RBI single to center, scoring Stephen Drew, giving Lester a 3-1 leading heading to the bottom of the ninth.
After Lester exited the game, Koji Uehara came in the game for notch the four-out save and he did just that. He struck out Matt Adams, who pinch hit in the eighth inning, in three straight pitches.
This is Game 5's segment for game within the game.
Red Sox Relapse
Sing this to Rihanna's hit single, "K, K, K, K, K..." That is what the Red Sox did once again in this game. The showed in the ALCS that they were prone to the strikeout and in the first two innings that was the only way Wainwright recorded his outs. The Red Sox struck out 10 times in the World Series.
Ortiz Out?
MLB showed its humor announcing "Breaking News" through their Twitter account after David Ortiz lined out to centerfield. The Red Sox's battery had reached base nine straight times, but could not make it 10 in a row, which would have set a new record. Ortiz got the offense started in the first inning, lining a double just inside the right field line, past first baseman Allen Craig.
Ortiz finished the night 3-4 with an RBI and an "infield" single that wound up in the grass, but in front of Cardinals' second baseman Matt Carpenter.
Cardinals Cuffed
The Red Sox have not hit well this World Series, but they have used their hits wisely. The Cardinals did not have any sense of clutch hitting or rally mounting in this game. Lester cruised through his 7.2 innings pitched and it he did not need any sort of ointment on his glove to help him win this game.
Error Free
Fans saw a clean game as both defenses played their part in their pitchers' dominance in this game. The Red Sox snapped their five-game streak with an error, backing their pitching all the way.
Ross's pitch calling behind the plate was flawless. Right when the Cardinals looked like they had figured out Lester in the fourth inning, Ross asked Lester to start mixing in the slow stuff. Sometimes it was over the plate and the Cardinals would take, sometimes it was out of the strikezone and the Cardinals would swing.
Game 6 will be played at Fenway Park and Michael Wacha will take the ball for the Cardinals. He is 4-0 in the postseason. The Red Sox are trying to figure out who they will send to the mound after John Lackey made an appearance in Game 4.