Getting red-hot hitting from David Ortiz alone probably would have been enough for the Boston Red Sox to win the World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Throw in big hits from David Ross and Jonny Gomes, and you can start the ring fitting.
Not to be lost in the hitting showcase Ortiz is putting on is the fact that it’s been hits off the bats of Ross and Gomes that have put the Red Sox in a position to celebrate a world championship at home for the first time since 1918.
Gomes’ three-run blast in the sixth inning of Game 4 put the Sox up three, and Ross followed it up monday night’s with a ground rule, go-ahead double in the seventh. Both hits provided deficits the Cardinals couldn’t overcome.
Boston:
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As they’ve done all year, the Sox are getting contributions up and down their roster. When Shane Victorino couldn’t play due to nagging injuries, Gomes stepped in with a go-ahead home run. When Mike Napoli was relegated to the bench in a non-DH ballpark, Ortiz went on a tear of remarkable proportions.
When Clay Buchholtz lasted just four innings in Game 4, Felix Doubront picked him up by getting the game to the seventh inning with a three-run lead.
When you’re getting contributions from this many of your secondary players to go along with a torrid pace set by your star, it’s simply hard to lose.
Add a dominating pitching performance from Jon Lester to the recipe, and winning seems inevitable.
St. Louis:
It was encouraging to see Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright bounce back to the dominant form we’ve been accustomed to, however it’s really the only positive the Cardinals can point to.
Their anemic offense has mustered more than two runs just once this series. Even in Game 3, in which they won, they failed on several opportunities to make the game a blow out.
Additionally, they failed to take advantage of a Napoli-less lineup, and inexplicably continued to pitch to Ortiz.
Only five teams in baseball history have won the final two games of a World Series on the road, and given their offense, the Cardinals will need shut-out pitching performances to have a chance at number six.
Next two games:
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Game six features the rematch of John Lackey and rookie Michael Wacha, which on paper would indicate another low-scoring game.
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St. Louis was able to score three times against Lackey in Game 2, and they’ll need at least that many runs to win tonight.
Game 7 would presumably feature the Game 4 rematch of Joe Kelley and Jake Peavy, although those starters have yet to be announced. If this is the case, expect a wild, all-hands-on-deck game.
Prediction:
Tonight’s game 6 will be no different than the way the series has been played thus far, so you can expect a low-scoring game that comes down to one or two hits late.
The Cardinals have provided no indication that they can win this type of game, and in contrast, Boston has thrived in it and will win it.
John Farrell won’t hesitate to go to Koji Uehara with a lead in the eighth, and the Red Sox will win their third championship in 10 years.
