2013 Baseball Betting – St. Louis vs Boston
The Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals have made it through the first two rounds of the postseason and will square off in the 2013 World Series. Boston will enjoy home field advantage in the Series because some Rangers and Orioles and Twins beat some Rockies and Marlins and Brewers in July (sounds silly when you put it that way, doesn’t it?).
In any event, the festivities get underway at Fenway on Wednesday, so let’s take a look at what we can expect from the teams.
A.L. Champion Boston Red Sox
We all remember the “idiots” that helped the Red Sox reverse the curse in 2004. This year it’s the “beards” that have helped propel Boston from worst to first, and all the way to the World Series.
In what was supposed to be a bridge year for the Red Sox, with veterans like Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli brought in on short term deals, the Red Sox were picked by most to finish dead last in the A.L. East, but the team banded together and proved doubters wrong, winning the A.L. East and clawing their way through the first two rounds of the postseason to an A.L. title.
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Now the Red Sox will hope their bats can stay hot against a St. Louis ball club that has won on the back of solid pitching and timely hitting. The Red Sox were able to feast on a poor Tiger bullpen in the A.L.C.S., but they won’t have that luxury when they take on the Cardinals.
Don’t be surprised if the Red Sox get their runs anyway, as they have the type of talent up and down their lineup that can hit against anyone.
It’s unfair to overlook the team’s pitching, as Jon Lester and John Lackey are back to pitching like aces, and Clay Buchholz has been lights out as the number three starter. Despite many key faces missing, the team’s bullpen has been lights out, with Koji Uehara shortening games regularly.
N.L. Champion St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinal front office has made all the right moves in recent years, cutting ties with veterans that would have commanded princely sums, and instead allowing their young players to take over, while making smart moves when the time came to spend their money.
Veteran outfielder Carlos Beltran has been one of the best postseason performers in recent memory, and maybe of all-time, so how he fares in his first World Series will be interesting to watch. Catcher Yadier Molina routinely dazzles with his ability both behind the plate and with a bat in his hands, but he looked like a guy who’s caught a full season of baseball by the time the N.L.C.S. came around, and might not have much left in the tank. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
The Cardinals will rely on a trio of Matts, namely Holliday, Adams, and Carpenter, to continue to churn out hits and continue to search for alleys, racking up extra base hits as they hope to keep pace with Boston’s high-powered offense. Getting Allen Craig back, even if it’s only as a D.H., will help that effort, particularly against left-handers like Lester.
Prediction
Odds: Boston -145, St. Louis +125 (Bet on the World Series at Bovada – click for a special introductory bonus offer from Bovada + CappersPicks)
The Red Sox have been here before, and have absolutely dominated in the World Series since trumping the Curse of the Bambino, going 8-0 in their last eight World Series game. Fenway impacts games in a way that few venues can, and the Red Sox will have the advantage of getting to play their up to four times in the series.
Getting David Ortiz and Mike Napoli into the lineup on the road will be tricky, but Boston just has more firepower than St. Louis, and guys like Wacha and Kelly will face a rude awakening when they take the step up in class to face a fierce A.L. opponent.
Boston likely won’t run the table again, but the Cardinals are banged up and likely won’t put forth the best effort they’re capable of due to injury.
Expect Matheny to out-manage John Farrell in St. Louis, but talent will win out, and if it doesn’t, Fenway Park could give Boston a nudge in the right direction.
The play: Boston -145
World Series Schedule
- Wednesday, Oct. 23 – 8:07 PM ET Game 1 — St. Louis at Boston – Adam Wainwright at Jon Lester
- Thursday, Oct. 24 – 8:07 PM ET Game 2 — St. Louis at Boston – Michael Wacha at John Lackey
- Saturday, Oct. 26 – 8:07 PM ET Game 3 — Boston at St. Louis – Clay Buchholz at Joe Kelly
- Sunday, Oct. 27 – 8:15 PM ET Game 4 — Boston at St. Louis – Jake Peavy at Lance Lynn
- Monday, Oct. 28 – 8:07 PM ET Game 5 — Boston at St. Louis – *if necessary
- Wednesday, Oct. 30 – 8:07 PM ET Game 6 — St. Louis at Boston – *if necessary
- Thursday, Oct. 31 – 8:07 PM ET Game 7 — St. Louis at Boston – *if necessary
