World Series 6: Red Sox 6, Cardinals 1

Cardinals - 000 000 100 - 1  9  1
Red Sox   - 003 300 00x - 6  8  1

2004. 2007. 2013!

Shane Victorino's three-run double in the third inning ignited the Red Sox offense and John Lackey (6.2-9-1-1-5, 105) held the Cardinals at bay as the Red Sox won their third World Series championship in the last ten years.

World Series MVP David Ortiz (.688/.760/1.188) reached base four times - on four walks, three of them intentional - and scored two runs.

Stephen Drew socked a solo home run in the fourth inning. ... Jacoby Ellsbury was on base four times and scored twice. ... Jonny Gomes and Victorino were on base three times each.

After Lackey left the game in the seventh with the bases loaded, Junichi Tazawa retired Allen Craig on a grounder to first. Brandon Workman pitched a perfect eighth and Koji Uehara retired the Cardinals in order in the ninth, striking out Matt Carpenter to end the game - and the 2013 season.

Michael Wacha / John Lackey

Ellsbury, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Victorino, RF
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Ross, C

The Boston Red Sox have celebrated a World Series championship at Fenway Park twice in their history*:

October 16, 1912
World Series Game 8
Red Sox 3, Giants 2 (10)

September 11, 1918
World Series Game 6
Red Sox 2, Cubs 1

Tonight could be the third time.

(*: In 1916, they clinched in Boston, but played their home World Series games at Braves Field because it had a greater seating capacity.)

The Red Sox have two chances to grab one win and defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2013 World Series. In a season that has been such an amazing turnaround from last year's dismal summer, perhaps it is fitting that John Lackey - who has undergone a remarkable villain-to-hero transformation - gets the ball in what will be a raucous night in Boston. (OTM's Brendan O'Toole writes a bit about Lackey and "redemption" here.)

Shane Victorino is "full go" for Game 6, according to manager John Farrell. Jonny Gomes (left field) and David Ross (catcher) will also be in the starting lineup.

Farrell said that lefty Felix Doubront - who pitched well in Games 3 (25 pitches) and 4 (32 pitches) in St. Louis - will be available out of the bullpen.

Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated:

It was the middle of spring training, just another day in a month and a half of Groundhog Days, when Boston pitcher Ryan Dempster gave just another absentminded "Hey, how ya doin'?" to teammate Jonny Gomes. What Gomes responded with was anything but ordinary, foreshadowing what the year might hold from a band of rogues and grinders that would come to resemble sloppily hirsute Civil War re-enactors.

Replied Gomes, "One day closer to a parade." Such has been the spirit and will of the 2013 Sox.

A victory in either tonight's game or Thursday's Game 7 will give David Ortiz three World Series rings with the Red Sox. Two Boston players - Harry Hooper and Heinie Wagner - won four championships (1912, 1915, 1916, 1918). Ortiz is the only player from the 2004 team still with the Red Sox.

One more step.

World Series 5: Red Sox 3, Cardinals 1

Red Sox   - 100 000 200 - 3  9  0
Cardinals - 000 100 000 - 1  4  0

Jon Lester (7.2-4-1-0-7, 91) stifled the Cardinals and David Ortiz went 3-for-4, including an RBI double in the first inning, as the Red Sox took another step towards their third world championship in the last ten seasons. Boston will try to clinch the 2013 title at Fenway Park on Wednesday night.

Lester allowed leadoff singles in the second and third, but St. Louis could do nothing with the base runners. After Matt Holliday tied the game with a home run in the fourth, Lester set down the next 12 Cardinals batters. He departed the game with two outs in the eighth inning and a man on second.

Koji Uehara came in and struck out pinch-hitter Matt Adams on three pitches. Uehara had a calm ninth, retiring the Cardinals in order: Matt Carpenter struck out looking, Jon Jay grounded out 3-1, and Holliday lined to right.

The game was only a few minutes old when Boston scored its first run. Adam Wainwright (7-8-3-1-10, 107) struck out Jacoby Ellsbury, but Dustin Pedroia ripped an 0-2 pitch to left field for a double. Ortiz then lashed the first pitch he saw down the right field line, and the Red Sox led 1-0.

Ortiz also got Boston's next hit, leading off the fourth with a single, but he was erased on a double play. Xander Bogaerts and David Ross both singled in the fifth, but were stranded.

With one out in the seventh, Bogaerts singled and Stephen Drew walked. Ross then smacked a ground rule double that landed just fair down the left field line for one run. After Lester grounded back to the pitcher, Ellsbury singled to center. Drew scored and Ross tried coming home as well, but was called out on a close play at the plate.

With his fourth-inning hit, Ortiz tied a World Series record by reaching base in nine consecutive plate appearances. Flo is now 11-for-15 (.733) in the World Series and has all but clinched the MVP Award. Lester's superb performances in Games 1 and 5 merit serious consideration, but Ortiz's offensive extravaganza, coupled with his inspirational pep talk during Game 4, cannot be denied.

How hot has Big Papi been?

Ortiz         11-for- 15  .733
Rest of Team  22-for-146  .151

Boston has clinched two World Series championships at Fenway Park: 1912 and 1918. They will try for a third on Wednesday night.

Jon Lester / Adam Wainwright

Ellsbury, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, 1B
Gomes, LF
Nava, RF
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Ross, C
Lester, P

For your pre-game pleasure: Game 4 gifs!

World Series 4: Red Sox 4, Cardinals 2

Red Sox   - 000 013 000 - 4  6  2
Cardinals - 001 000 100 - 2  6  0

The Red Sox have tied the World Series at two games apiece. The World Series will return to Fenway Park.

Clay Buchholz (4-3-1-3-2, 66) gave the Red Sox four solid innings and Felix Doubront was sterling for 2.2 innings and 32 pitches. John Lackey (!) provided the bridge to Koji Uehara with a scoreless eighth inning.

Jonny Gomes belted a three-run home run with two outs in the sixth to snap a 1-1 tie.

David Ortiz went 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. He was seen exhorting his teammates in the dugout right before that sixth-inning rally.

In the sixth, the Red Sox had two outs and nothing going on against Lynn (5.2-3-3-3-5, 89). But Dustin Pedroia singled to center and David Ortiz walked on four pitches. Seth Maness came in from the pen and Gomes tagged a 2-2 sinker into the Boston bullpen in left-center.

After reliving Doubront with two outs in the seventh (a possible early hook by John Farrell), Craig Breslow melted down again, allowing an inherited runner to score on a single and walking a batter. Junichi Tazawa saved the lead when he retired Matt Holliday with runners at first and second.

Lackey worked around a one-out error and Koji Uehara, not quite as sharp as usual, allowed a one-out single. But he got Matt Carpenter on a pop to second and then picked off pinch-runner Kolten Wong at first base with Carlos Beltran at the plate to end the game.

Update: Shane Victorino was scratched from the original lineup because of lower back stiffness. Daniel Nava switches from left field to right field and bats second, while Jonny Gomes plays left and bats fifth.
Clay Buchholz / Lance Lynn

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF Nava, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, 1B
Nava, LF Gomes, LF
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Ross, C
Buchholz, P

John Farrell used his bullpen for five high-pressure innings last night, so the Red Sox need Buchholz to go deep into Game 4. But considering Buchholz's health, that may not be possible. However, in a pregame interview, Farrell said every reliever is available, and so is John Lackey. Last night, Felix Doubront threw 25 pitches, Junichi Tazawa threw 24, and Brandon Workman threw 30.

In three postseason starts this month, Buchholz has gone 6.0, 5.2, and 5.0 innings. In those 16.2 innings, he's allowed 19 hits, five walks, and 10 runs. ... Lynn has also failed to pitch past the sixth inning in his four career postseason starts.

ESPN's David Schoenfield has some good insights into both managers' possibly limited choices out of the pen tonight. He points out:

Aside from that, Farrell has to get Koji Uehara in the game. He's now let one lead slip away in the seventh inning and started the ninth inning of a tie game without his best reliever on the mound. ... The point: Having a guy who had one of the most dominant relief seasons ever isn't a big weapon if you don't use him in the most critical situations. If the Red Sox are going to win this game I think they may need to get six out from Uehara, even if that means using him in the seventh inning to get out of a jam.

World Series 3: Cardinals 5, Red Sox 4

Red Sox   - 000 011 020 - 4  6  2
Cardinals - 200 000 201 - 5 12  0

St. Louis won this pivotal game on a throwing error by catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and an interference call against third baseman Will Middlebrooks. The Red Sox had fought back to tie the game twice, having been down 2-0 and 4-2.

Brandon Workman started the ninth inning by striking out Matt Adams. Workman feel behind Yadier Molina 3-0, fought back to a full count, then gave up a bloop single to right-center. Manager John Farrell called on Koji Uehara. Pinch-hitter Allen Craig jumped on Uehara's first pitch and doubled down the left field line. Molina - the potential winning run - was held at third. Jon Jay grounded an 0-1 to the right side. Dustin Pedroia, with the infield in, dove to his right, popped up and fired home. Saltalamacchia tagged out Molina, then made an ill-advised peg to third to nab Craig. The throw was wild and Middlebrooks, after diving for the ball, interfered with Craig. Daniel Nava chased down the errant throw and fired the ball home. The ball beat Craig to the plate, but the umpires had already made the interference call, ending the game.

After the game, the umpires explained the call. ... SoSH thread here, with a gif that shows Craig pushing Middlebrooks down to the ground.

The inning followed a questionable decision by Farrell (one of several in the game) to let Workman bat for himself with one out in the top of the ninth. Farrell was perhaps hoping to get a clean ninth inning from Workman, but was set to pull him for Uehara if he allowed anyone to reach base. That is exactly what happened, but Koji did not get the breaks.

The obstruction call ruined any chance at what could have been a huge victory for the Red Sox, coming back against the top arm of the St. Louis bullpen, Carlos Martinez and Trevor Rosenthal.

Peavy (4-6-2-1-4, 64) had a very rough beginning. Four of the first five Cardinals were aggressive in the count and hit line drive singles; the lone non-single was a sacrifice bunt by Carlos Beltran on a 3-1 count. Strange. But Peavy got out of the inning with only two runs allowed.

He showed some mettle in the fourth, working out of a bases-loaded-no-outs jam. Yadier Molina singled softly to center and David Freese walked. When Jon Jay singled to center, Ellsbury threw in to second base, giving St. Louis a run. But Molina inexplicably had stopped at third base. When Peavy wiggled out of trouble - getting a strikeout and two popups - it seemed like that mental error might play a significant part in the game.

Felix Doubront relieved Peavy and he also got out of a slight pickle in the fifth. Adams had doubled with two outs and the Red Sox elected to intentionally walk Molina. Doubront threw what should have been four called strikes, but home plate umpire Dana DeMuth - the man who blew the call at second base the other night and who had both teams angry at him with his lava-lamp strike zone tonight - called only two of the four pitches strikes. Having to battle the umpire as well as the opposing team, Doubront finally got Freese to fly out to right.

On the other side, Kelly retired the first nine Boston batters. He allowed a hit and a walk in the fourth, but stranded both runners. Xander Bogaerts began the fifth with a triple to right-center that skipped by the gimpy Beltran. XB eventually scored on pinch-hitter Mike Carp's fielder's choice.

Boston tied the game in the sixth. Shane Victorino walked (and the Cardinals were chirping on two borderline calls during this at-bat). Pedroia lined out to third and Ortiz singled off LOOGY Randy Choate, sending Victorino to third. St. Louis manager Mike Matheny then made a curious decision. He pulled Choate and brought in right-hander Seth Maness. That allowed Daniel Nava to bat from his stronger side; in 2013, Nava had an OPS 250 points higher from the left side, hitting .322/.411/.484 against RHP and .252/.311/.336 against LHP. Maness's first pitch to Nava was lined to left field for a game-tying single. Bogaerts then grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Farrell made another questionable decision when he pinch-hit for Doubront with two outs and the bases clean in the seventh inning. Jonny Gomes flew out to center and Doubront was gone from the game after only two innings and 25 pitches. Craig Breslow started the bottom of the seventh by allowing an infield hit to Matt Carpenter (Ortiz couldn't handle Bogaerts's slightly wild throw) and grazing Beltran's elbow pad with a pitch. Junichi Tazawa came in and was hit for a two-run double that Middlebrooks could not get a glove on down the left field line. The Cardinals led 4-2 with a man on third and no outs. Tazawa bore down and did not let than critical fifth run score, striking out Adams and Molina, walking Freese and getting Jay on a fly out to center.

Right after that, Boston re-tied the game. Facing Martinez, Ellsbury singled up the middle and Victorino was (really) hit by a pitch. The runners moved up to second and third on Pedroia's groundout. Ortiz was walked intentionally to load the bases - and Rosenthal came in. Nava grounded an 0-2 pitch to Kolten Wong at second base (he had just come in via a double switch with Rosenthal). Wong made the flip to shortstop for one out, but the relay was late and Ellsbury scored. Then Bogaerts, facing 99 mph fastballs, singled on a high chopper up the middle that found its way to center; Victorino scored and the game was knotted at 4-4. With a chance to take the lead, Saltalamcchia was horribly overmatched and grounded to second.

Workman pitched the eighth, allowing a single to Wong and eventually walking Beltran intentionally after Wong stole second. The inning ended when Matt Holliday flied to left. In the top of the ninth, Rosenthal retired the Sox in order, with two strikeouts and a grounder.

Boston will need a strong start from Clay Buchholz on Sunday night.

Jake Peavy / Joe Kelly

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, 1B
Nava, LF
Bogaerts, 3B
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Peavy, P

Peavy lasted only three innings in Game 4 of the ALCS and gave up seven runs to the Tigers. He says he's ready to go in this pivotal Game 3.

Let's not sugarcoat anything, this is the biggest game up until this point in time that I've ever pitched. We'd be silly to sit here and say otherwise. ... And so to go out in a World Series game and have a chance to sway the odds, the favor, in your direction, on the road, against a team that's got some momentum with a big win at our place? Of course, this is the biggest start in my career.

Can Kelly maintain his exceptionally high strand rate, or is his luck about to run out?

The Herald's John Tomase says John Farrell needs to shake up the lineup. Stephen Drew is 4-for-42 (.095) in the entire postseason and Jarrod Saltalamacchia is in a 3-for-22 slump. ... David Ortiz will be at first base tonight, with Mike Napoli beginning the evening on the bench. Daniel Nava will play left in St. Louis' larger outfield, in place of Jonny Gomes (3-for-23 in the ALCS/WS). ... Jayson Stark says you would have to be insane to bench Ortiz in October. ... Is Flo the real Mr. October?

Michael Silverman has the annual look at how ludicrous it is for the Red Sox and Cardinals to play by two sets of rules in the most meaningful games of the season. ... Boston has a much stronger bench than the Cardinals do.

Clay Buchholz will start Game 4. He threw from as far as 100 feet off flat ground yesterday. Pitching coach Juan Nieves characterized Buchholz's session as "excellent", though catcher David Ross said, "We're going to do the best we can with what we've got." ... Fully healthy or not, we know Buchholz will work slowly. ... Felix Doubront has also been throwing in case he is needed; he has not started a game since September 22.

World Series 1: Red Sox 8, Cardinals 1

Cardinals - 000 000 001 - 1  7  3
Red Sox   - 320 000 21x - 8  8  1

Boston jumped on Adam Wainwright immediately, making the tall righthander throw 60 pitches in the first two innings. Add in some horrible fielding by the Cardinals and the Red Sox's ninth consecutive World Series victory (dating back to 2004) was a piece of cake.

Jacoby Ellsbury worked a seven-pitch walk to begin the bottom of the first. After Shane Victorino lined out to left, Dustin Pedroia stroked a single to center. On David Ortiz's grounder to second, Matt Carpenter shoveled the ball to shortstop Pete Kozma; the ball glanced off the tip of Kozma's glove, but second base umpire Dana DeMuth - who had the play directly in front of him - blew the call, saying that Kozma had actually caught the ball, but dropped it while transferring it to his bare hand. Thankfully, after John Farrell came out to argue, the six umpires got together and overruled the embarrassingly bad original call. That meant Boston had the bases loaded with one out. Mike Napoli took two balls and then shot a double to the gap in left-center. It took two hops to the wall, where it was slightly bobbled by center fielder Shane Robinson. That allowed all three runners to score.

Boston became the 10th team to score at least three runs in the first inning of a World Series Game 1.

In the second, Stephen Drew popped up a pitch to the mound. Wainwright called for it, glanced at his catcher, and then never raised his glove, and watched as the ball dropped in front of him. David Ross followed with a single of his own. After Ellsbury popped to left, Victorino reached on another fielding error by Kozma. Again, Boston had the bases loaded. Pedroia singled through the shortstop hole, bringing Drew in. Ortiz crushed a ball to deep right. It looked like it had the distance for a grand slam, but Carlos Beltran tracked it perfectly, reached over the short bullpen wall, and pulled the ball back. It ended up being only a sacrifice fly, as the Red Sox took a 5-0 lead. Beltran, who banged hard into the padded wall while making the catch, left the game with a right rib contusion.

Meanwhile, Lester (7.2-5-0-1-8, 112) was having little trouble with the Cardinals hitters, allowing only one hit through the first three innings. In the fourth, St. Louis loaded the bases on a walk and two singles, but David Freese tapped a 2-1 pitch right back to the mound. Lester had plenty of time to set himself before starting a 1-2-3 inning-ending double play.

In the fifth, two singles and an error by Jonny Gomes in left field put runners at second and third with two outs. Jon Jay, who came off the bench when Beltran was pulled, grounded out to shortstop to end the threat. Lester then retired the side in order in the sixth and seventh. He also got the first two batters in the eighth before being relieved, walking off the field to a standing ovation.

Lester was the first starting pitcher to hold an opponent scoreless in the opening game of the World Series since Cincinnati's Jose Rijo (1990, against Oakland).

Boston padded its lead in the seventh when Pedroia reached on a two-out throwing error by Freese at third base and Ortiz blasted lefty reliever Kevin Siegrist's first pitch into the right-center field bleachers.

Daniel Nava began the eighth with a pinch-hit double, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on Xander Bogaerts lineout to left.

Ryan Dempster pitched the ninth and gave up a home run to Matt Holliday. He struck out Matt Adams to end the game.

Napoli and Ortiz each drove in three runs. Ortiz and Pedroia both had two hits and scored two runs. Ellsbury's BB to open the first inning was Boston's only walk.

Adam Wainwright / Jon Lester

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Ross, C

This is the fourth time the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals have met in the World Series: 1946, 1967, 2004, and now 2013.

The only two players from the 2004 World Series still with their teams: Boston's DH David Ortiz and St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina. Mike Matheny, the 2004 Cardinals' starting catcher, is now the St. Louis manager. ... If you are curious, there will be no lunar eclipse during this series.

Teams that have won Game 1 have won 20 of the past 24 World Series. ... This is only the third time in the Wild Card Era (since 1995) that teams with the league's best records have met in the World Series. The other times: 1995 (Cleveland-Atlanta) and 1999 (Yankees-Atlanta).

More info on the starters: Wainwright and Lester ... Carl Yastrzemski will throw out the first pitch.

MLB looks at "How They Were Built": Red Sox and Cardinals ... WEEI offers a primer on the Cardinals. ... SoSH also asks: Who Are The Cardinals?

On The Web: Globe, Herald, ProJo, MLB, St. Louis Post-Dispatch ... WEEI's World Series Preview ... ESPNBoston: 10 reasons to Love The World Series ...

The Herald writers offer their predictions:

Scott Lauber      - Red Sox in 7
John Tomase       - Red Sox in 7
Michael Silverman - Cardinals in 7
Steve Buckley     - Red Sox in 6
Ron Borges        - Red Sox in 7
Tom Layman        - Red Sox in 6

Predictions from the Globe:

Peter Abraham      - Red Sox in 6
Nick Cafardo       - Red Sox in 7
Dan Shaughnessy    - Cardinals in 7
Christopher Gasper - Red Sox in 7

Newspapers:

And a Korean cartoon from 2004!

ALCS6: Red Sox 5, Tigers 2

Tigers  - 000 002 000 - 2  8  1
Red Sox - 000 010 40x - 5  5  1

THE RED SOX WIN THE PENNANT!

Shane Victorino crushed a hanging curveball from Jose Veras for a grand slam home run to left field in the bottom of the seventh. The shot erased Detroit's 2-1 lead and gave Boston a three-run cushion. Victorino was 2-for-23 in the ALCS before the blast.

Craig Breslow and Koji Uehara then retired six of the seven Tigers hitters in the eighth and ninth innings - and Boston clinched its 13th American League pennant. The Red Sox will meet the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night.

Uehara was named the Most Valuable Player of the series.

Max Scherzer / Clay Buchholz

The ALCS is back at Fenway Park - and the Red Sox have two chances to punch their ticket to the 109th World Series, which begins on Wednesday night in the American League park. The St. Louis Cardinals clinched the National League pennant last night.

The Tigers will rely on their best pitchers - Scherzer and Justin Verlander - in Games 6 and (if necessary) Game 7. The Red Sox won both games started by the two Tiger aces earlier in the series.

ESPN: "Scherzer and Verlander made back-to-back starts 19 times during the regular season. In those games, the Tigers won both games seven times, split the two starts 11 times and lost both once."

Torii Hunter says that the pressure is on Boston.

Xander Bogaerts will start at third base, as he did in Game 5. Manager John Farrell also said that Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be catching, Jonny Gomes will be in left field, and the slumping Shane Victorino will likely remain in the #2 spot.

The four one-run games in this series ties the ALCS record, set by Baltimore/Cleveland in 1997.

Looking at the stats for the first five games:

HOT

Mike Napoli: 6-for-16 (.375), 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 4 runs scored, 2 RBI
Jacoby Ellsbury: 6-for-19 (.316), double, triple, 3 walks
Koji Uehara: 5 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts; 1 win, 2 saves

NOT

Stephen Drew: 1-for-17 (.059), 8 strikeouts
Shane Victorino: 2-for-21 (.095), 9 strikeouts
David Ortiz: 2-for-19 (.105), home run

Ellsbury has stolen six bases during this postseason, a new Red Sox record. Boston has set a new team record with 12 steals in the 2013 postseason.

An interesting factoid: The Red Sox have won 25 straight games (including regular season and postseason) when scoring at least three runs in any one inning. The most recent victory of that type was Game 5.

The results of the previous eight best-of-7 ALCS for the Red Sox:

1986 - Beat Angels in 7 games
1988 - Lost to A's in 4 games
1990 - Lost to A's in 4 games
1999 - Lost to Yankees in 5 games
2003 - Lost to Yankees in 7 games
2004 - Beat Yankees in 7 games
2007 - Beat Cleveland in 7 games
2008 - Lost to Rays in 7 games

ALCS5: Red Sox 4, Tigers 3

Red Sox - 031 000 000 - 4 10  0
Tigers  - 000 011 100 - 3 10  1

The Red Sox are one win away from the World Series.

Boston took an early 4-0 lead, then held on through several tense innings as the Tigers scratched back into the game. The bullpen was tasked with getting 11 outs. In the end, it was up to Koji Uehara, who got the final five outs and sent his team back to Boston with a 3-2 lead in the series.

For the first time in the ALCS, the Red Sox scored a run before the sixth inning. Mike Napoli led off the second with a mammoth home run to dead center, estimated (perhaps conservatively) at 460 feet. Jonny Gomes reached on a fielding error by Miguel Cabrera. After Stephen Drew struck out, Xander Bogaerts doubled to left, and Gomes was held at third. David Ross doubled in one run and Jacoby Ellsbury singled home another. In the third, Napoli hit a ground-rule double, and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

After being no-hit through six innings by Anibal Sanchez in Game 1, Boston had hits in each of the first five innings against Sanchez (6-9-4-0-5, 108).

Lester (5.1-7-2-3-3, 98) was not sharp, and his fastball velocity hovered around 91-92, but he was able to work out of most jams. He received a gift in the first inning when the lumbering Cabrera ran [sic] through a stop sign and was gunned down at the plate for the third out. Detroit stranded a man at second in the second and Lester started a double play to escape the fourth.

The Tigers put their leadoff man on base in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, and three of those runners scored. In the fifth, Austin Jackson singled, was bunted to second, and scored on Cabrera's single.

Victor Martinez walked to open the sixth and took second on Omar Infante's one-out single. Red Sox manager John Farrell was quick with his hook on Lester and went to Junichi Tazawa. Brayan Pena (who had replaced the injured regular catcher Alex Avila) singled on Tazawa's first pitch, scoring Martinez and cutting the Red Sox's lead to 4-2. Tazawa got out of the inning with a 5-4-3 double play.

The Boston bats had gone mostly silent after the third inning and the Tigers continued to threaten. Tazawa gave up two singles, to Jose Iglesias and Torii Hunter, start the seventh. Cabrera was at the plate in the biggest at-bat of the night. Tazawa threw ball one, then got a groundball to Dustin Pedroia, who raced to the bag for one out and threw on to first for the double play. A run scored, however, bringing the Tigers to within one run, 4-3.

Craig Breslow came in and retired Prince Fielder to end the seventh. Breslow began the eighth by getting Martinez to ground out to first. And then it was Koji Time. Uehara seemed determined to drain away most of the drama from the situation. It took him nine pitches, but he struck out Jhonny Peralta and then whiffed Infante on three pitches to close the eighth.

Boston had a golden opportunity to add some insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Bogaerts worked the Red Sox's first walk of the night and Will Middlebrooks pinch-ran. Ross dropped down a first-pitch sacrifice to third and Middlebrooks, seeing that third base was unguarded, took two bases on the bunt! Jacoby Ellsbury was walked intentionally and quickly stole second. However, Shane Victorino struck out and Pedroia flied to center.

In the bottom of the ninth, Uehara faced the Tigers' 7-8-9 hitters. Pena popped out to shallow left on a 1-2 pitch. Jackson took a ball and lifted a routine fly to center. Iglesias battled for nine pitches, including four foul balls, before popping out to Pedroia.

The time of Saturday's Game 6 depends on what happens in the NLCS. If there is a Game 7 between the Cardinals/Dodgers, the Red Sox/Tigers will play at 4 PM. If St. Louis wins the NL pennant on Friday night, Boston will play at 8 PM.

Jon Lester / Anibal Sanchez

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Drew, SS
Bogaerts, 3B
Ross, C

Xander Bogaerts may get a start tonight, in place of either Stephen Drew (3-for-28 in the postseason) or Will Middlebrooks (4-for-23). Red Sox assistant general manager Mike Hazen said starting XB would be "an infusion of energy". ... The Herald's John Tomase says Bogaerts should start.

Jake Peavy explains what went wrong in Game 4. ... Gordon Edes writes about the mistakes of both Peavy and Dustin Pedroia. ... Perhaps a slightly different lineup sparked the Tigers to score seven times. (More likely, it was simply the law of averages.)

Steve Buckley of the Herald writes that both managers can be seriously second-guessed over the first four games. ... David Ortiz has nothing but high praise for the Tigers' starters, and the pressure is on the Boston starters to match them. ... ESPNBoston tells us what to watch for in Game 4.

Rain is expected in Detroit during the afternoon and into the evening.

ALCS4: Tigers 7, Red Sox 3

Red Sox - 000 001 101 - 3 12  0
Tigers  - 050 200 00x - 7  9  0

The ALCS is now a best-of-three, with the possibility of two games at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox's offense - which batted only .133 (with 43 strikeouts) through the first three games - returned on Wednesday night, in hits, if not runs scored. Boston put at least one man on base in eight of nine innings, but failed to get them home in the clutch. They left 10 men on base, six of them on either second or third. They were a mere 2-for-16 with runners at second and/or third.

Jake Peavy (3-5-7-3-1, 65) pitched two perfect innings, the first and third. It was his second frame that sunk the Sox. Peavy gave up three hits and walked three batters, including one with the bases loaded. He threw 32 pitches as the Tigers batted around. (Peavy also allowed hits to the first two batters in the fourth, both of whom later scored.)

Victor Martinez lined an opposite field single to begin the Detroit second. Peavy walked Jhonny Peralta on four pitches and he walked Alex Avila to load the bases. After Jacoby Ellsbury made a tumbling catch of Omar Infante's shallow fly to center, Peavy walked Austin Jackson (3-for-33 in the postseason) on four pitches to force in the Tigers' first run. Jose Iglesias then grounded sharply to second. Dustin Pedroia did not make a clean grab of the ball and could get only the force at second base (instead of an inning-ending double play), as another run scored. Torii Hunter ripped a two-run double to left and Miguel Cabrera followed with an RBI-single to center.

Brandon Workman allowed Peavy's two base runners in the fourth to score as Detroit opened a 7-0 lead. Events reached their nadir in that inning as the gimpy Cabrera stole second base without a throw, never speeding up faster than a jog.

The Boston side of the scorecard was littered with squandered chances to score. Mike Napoli doubled to open the second inning and advanced to third base on a groundout. However, he stood there as Jarrod Saltalamacchia fouled out to third and Stephen Drew struck out looking.

In the third, David Ortiz batted with runners at first and second, and ended the inning with a weak grounder to second. In the fifth, Ellsbury (who ended the night 4-for-5) doubled with one out. But he was stranded as Shane Victorino popped to short and Pedroia grounded to third.

The Red Sox got on the board in the sixth on three consecutive singles by Napoli, Daniel Nava, and Saltalamacchia. The seventh inning (against the Tigers' bullpen) started nicely as Ellsbury singled off Phil Coke and Victorino, facing Al Alburquerque, doubled him home. But Pedroia grounded to third and Doug Smyly came in to retire Ortiz (another grounder to second) and Napoli (popup to first).

Boston went in order in the eighth. In the ninth, Xander Bogaerts hit a ground-rule double to right and scored on Ellsbury's triple. But Victorino and Pedroia both struck out, and Ortiz flied to right.

In addition to Ellsbury's excellent night at the plate, Napoli and Salty each had two hits.

Thursday night's Game 5 will be a rematch of Game 1 (Jon Lester/Anibal Sanchez).

Jake Peavy / Doug Fister

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Drew, SS
Middlebrooks, 3B

Pivotal game: Either the Red Sox go up 3-1 or the series is tied 2-2.

The Tigers have shuffled their lineup, dropping leadoff hitter Austin Jackson to eighth and moving Torii Hunter into the #1 spot. Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder are now hitting #2 and #3.

ALCS3: Red Sox 1, Tigers 0

Red Sox - 000 000 100 - 1  4  0
Tigers  - 000 000 000 - 0  6  1

John Lackey (6.2-4-0-0-8, 98) outdueled Justin Verlander (8-4-1-1-1-10, 120) and Mike Napoli hit a solo home run as the Red Sox took a 2-1 lead in the ALCS on Tuesday afternoon.

When Napoli walked to the plate with one out in the seventh inning, he was 0-for-6 in the series, with six strikeouts. He worked the count full and then got the barrel of the bat on a high fastball, Verlander's 100th pitch of the day. The first ball Napoli put into play in the ALCS went out to deep left, finally landing in the Boston bullpen. (The home run was the first run Verlander had allowed in his last 34 innings, dating back to September 18.)

After Lackey departed in the bottom of the seventh with a man on first and two outs, the Red Sox bullpen was superb in the clutch. Detroit put two runners on base in the seventh and eighth innings and the leadoff man on in the ninth, but Craig Breslow, Junichi Tazawa, and Koji Uehara repelled all threats.

Lackey allowed two of his four hits in the first inning, when Torii Hunter singled with one out and went to third when Prince Fielder singled with two outs. Lackey bore down and got Victor Martinez to fly out to center, ending a seven-pitch at-bat - and the early threat.

Lackey struck out two Tigers in both the second and third innings, part of a stretch of retiring ten batters in a row through the end of the fourth. Jhonny Peralta opened the fifth with a double to the gap in left-center. Alex Avila's grounder to second moved Peralta to third. Again, Lackey tightened in the pinches. He battled Omar Infante for eight pitches and struck him out swinging, and got John Dirks on a first-pitch grounder to second.

For the Red Sox, it was much the same in the early innings as it had been in Games 1 and 2: no hits and a lot of strikeouts. Verlander retired 14 of the first 15 batters, fanning eight of them. He walked David Ortiz to begin the second, but then struck out the side, getting Napoli, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Jonny Gomes all swinging. Then Verlander struck out Stephen Drew, Will Middlebrooks, and Jacoby Ellsbury in the third. (The six consecutive strikeouts tied a postseason record.)

After Verlander fanned the first two batters in the fifth, Boston collected its first hit, a soft single up the middle from Gomes. He was stranded at first, however. Ellsbury singled with one down in the sixth and advanced to second on a two-out wild pitch, but Dustin Pedroia grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.

With a 1-0 lead, Lackey retired Prince Fielder on a line drive to Gomes, who made a tumbling catch in left. Martinez singled up the middle and Peralta flied out to right. Manager John Farrell came out to make a change, which seemed to both shock and anger Lackey. Breslow came in and walked Avila on five pitches. With runners on first and second, he got Infante to ground to Pedroia, who flipped to Drew for an inning-ending fielder's choice.

Breslow started the seventh by striking out Dirks on three pitches and walking Austin Jackson. Farrell called on Tazawa (it looked like Uehara was also ready, if needed). Hunter lined a single to right, with Shane Victorino cutting the ball off before it went into the corner; Jackson sprinted to third.

First and third, one out, with Miguel Cabrera and Fielder due up, in a one-run game.

Tazawa threw nothing but heat at Cabrera: the Detroit slugger swung and missed a 94 mph heater, chased a fastball away at 95, laid off another outside fastball, then whiffed on 94 just a bit outside of the zone. With two outs, Farrell brought in Uehara, who needed only three pitches to dispense with Fielder and the Tigers' threat. Fielder fouled a ball to the screen, lunging at and missed an outside fastball, and swung over a splitter at 81 that dropped off the table.

Two strikeouts, on seven pitches!

In the bottom of the ninth, Martinez lined a single to left-center and Hernan Perez pinch-ran. Uehara got what looked like a gift called strike on a low 1-1 pitch to Peralta, and on his next offering, Peralta grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Uehara used seven pitches (six of them splitters) to strike out Avila to secure the victory.

(After the Red Sox batted in the second, the game was delayed 17 minutes because of a power outage.)

John Lackey / Justin Verlander

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Saltalamacchia, C
Gomes, LF
Drew, SS
Middlebrooks, 3B

Doug Miller, MLB.com:

Game 1 was crazy and Game 2 was even crazier, so if the American League Championship Series keeps this up, there's no telling what kind of full-on insanity might take place on Tuesday afternoon in Game 3 at Comerica Park. ...

"Complete change of momentum," Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks said. "That's exactly what it is."

Steve Buckley, Herald:

The face of the franchise has a gap-toothed smile and an enduring flair for the dramatic. If Ortiz' grand slam Sunday night was the not the greatest moment in Red Sox postseason history, it sure was the most clutch. ...

What we saw was a guy who gets better when the moment gets bigger. What we saw was a player who doesn't just enjoy the attention of being a Red Sox star — he likes the pressure, the steaming cauldron of intensity that is Fenway in October. No one is better in that moment, no one has ever been better in that moment, than David Americo Ortiz. This is our (expletive) city, he once declared, and this is his (expletive) time.

In 52 postseason plate appearances in close and late situations, Ortiz has a .538 on-base percentage and an OPS of 1.282 ...

Justin Verlander:

I've seen some pitches that he got hit on that were strikes. I just think whoever is the home plate umpire needs to be aware that he's up there. Anything on the inner half, occasionally he's looking to get hit.

Shane Victorino:

It's not like the umpires don't know that I'm close to the plate. ... The only part that disappointments me is (Verlander) thinks I'm getting hit by strikes. If he can prove to me and show me which one he thought was a strike, that was a legitimate strike that I got hit on, then . . . I'm not mad.

Victorino is now the first batter to be hit by a pitch five times in a single postseason. ... The Tigers became the first team to record two games of 16-plus strikeouts in a single postseason (16 in ALDS1, 17 in ALCS1).

How unlikely was Boston's Game 2 comeback? Teams leading by 5+ runs in the postseason had been 459-14 (.970). ... The Red Sox became only the sixth team in postseason history to overcome a four-run deficit in the eighth inning or later to win.