The Red Sox shutout the Cardinals in Game 1 of the World Series at Fenway Park, defeating the Redbirds by a score of 8-1 on Wednesday night.

Adam Wainwright, after allowing only four runs in 23 innings thus far this postseason, surrendered five runs to the Red Sox in his first two innings of work. He closed his outing with three scoreless innings pitched, but the damage was already done.

Jon Lester was dominant, striking out eight batters in seven and two-third shutout frames. He attacked the Cardinals with hard stuff, and his cutter dashed away from right-handed hitters. The first changeup Lester threw was his final pitch of the seventh inning, as outfielder Shane Robinson struck out swinging.

Relentless Red Sox Lineup Strikes Again

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the first inning with a seven-pitch walk, and set the tone for the evening. It was only the second time all season that Wainwright had walked the leadoff man.

Following an atrocious miscue in which shortstop Pete Kozma dropped a feed from second baseman Matt Carpenter that would’ve started a routine double play, Mike Napoli cleared the bases with a three-run double in the first inning. Napoli hit .350 and knocked in 10 runs when he played for the Rangers in the 2011 World Series against the Cardinals, and would’ve likely won MVP honors had his team held on to its series lead.

Wainwright threw 60 pitches in the first two innings, and had his shortest outing of the playoffs. He and Michael Wacha have been dominant this postseason, but this Red Sox lineup is a different animal. It will be interesting to see how Wacha attempts to keep his pitch count down early in Game 2.

Defense Matters

The narrative all week has been that the Cardinals won’t give away runs like the Tigers did in the ALCS. They are supposedly too sound defensively to do things like blow double play chances and let pop ups drop between the catcher and pitcher. Or are they?

Kozma dropped an underhand toss at second base from Carpenter on a David Ortiz ground ball that would’ve been an easy double play. Second base umpire Dana DeMuth originally ruled the base runner, Dustin Pedroia, out at the base. After a conference with his crew members that lasted approximately 5068483024 minutes, DeMuth changed his call (instant replay can’t come fast enough). Napoli made Kozma pay for his mistake with a three-run double that broke the game open early.

Stephen Drew led off the second inning with a pop up between the pitcher’s mound and home plate. Wainwright and Yadier Molnia didn’t communicate with each other, and the ball fell in for a hit.

Later in the inning, Shane Victorino hit a ground ball to shortstop that Kozma couldn’t handle. This loaded the bases for Pedroia, who smashed a one-run single through the left side of the infield. Ironically, the one defensive play the Cardinals did make in the inning was when Carlos Beltran did what Torii Hunter couldn’t do in Game 2 of the ALCS, and robbed Ortiz of a grand slam.

Beltran’s catch came with a cost, though, as he was taken to the hospital for x-rays on his ribs after being removed from the game in the third inning. Jon Jay replaced Beltran in the lineup, and he grounded out with two men in scoring position to end the fifth inning.

The Cardinals inability to make the easy plays cost them early on, and gave the best offense in the American League free base runners. The Red Sox, conversely, have made all of the plays they’ve needed to make this postseason. They’ve turned 17 double plays through 11 playoff games.

Lester Pitched Like An Ace

Lester owned the Cardinals in Game 1, and pitched like the man who sported a tidy 2.57 ERA in the second half of the season.

Lester had his best stuff on Wednesday night, and clearly benefitted from six days of rest he received following Game 5 of the ALCS. He’s the third pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw a shutout in his first two career World Series starts.

Lester’s approach was phenomenal, as he established the inside part of the plate early with four-seam fastballs. This allowed him to paint the outside corner with his cutter against right-handed hitters, which led to his eight strikeout performance. David Ross called a terrific game behind the plate, and it seems as if he would be in line to catch Lester again in a potential Game 5.

With Clay Buchholz’s status in question for the series, it was imperative for the Red Sox to receive a strong performance from Lester on Wednesday night. They did, and then some.

David Ortiz’s Bat Is Heating Up

After going 2-22 in the ALCS, Ortiz recorded two hits and blasted a two-run home run in the win. The Cardinals don’t have a single left-handed starter, so Ortiz’s bat will be huge in this series.

With the possibility of three games in St. Louis, Ortiz looks to be the favorite to receive two starts at first base in-favor of Napoli. Which, by the way, is no knock on Napoli. It’s just a testament to the ability of Ortiz, and depth of this Red Sox team.

Looking Ahead

John Lackey takes the mound for Game 2 after he outdueled Justin Verlander in Game 3 of the ALCS. Rookie sensation Wacha, who has only allowed one run in 21 innings this postseason, will oppose him.

Wacha throws a lot harder than Wainwright does, as he pairs a high 90s fastball with a devastating changeup in the 70s. He beat Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw twice in the NLCS.

Daniel Nava doubled in a pinch-hitting appearance in the eighth inning, and could be in line to receive a start over Jonny Gomes in left field for Game 2. If not, Farrell has said Nava will play a role in St. Louis.

It is unclear when Buchholz will appear in St. Louis, as the word around Fenway Park was that he would be in line to start Game 4 instead of Game 3.

If Buchholz isn’t 100 percent, it make sense to have him lay everything on the line in Game 4. If Jake Peavy starts Game 3, he would be slated to start a potential Game 7.

It’s disappointing that Buchholz hasn’t seemingly been able to get over his shoulder injury that caused him to miss three months of the regular season. The most underrated stat in sports is games played, and Buchholz’s inability to stay healthy for a full season affects his value. But he’s from the “USELESS BUM” that talk radio callers have labeled him as. When Buchholz was healthy in April and May, he was 7-0 with a 1.73 ERA.

Photos and GIFs via Rob Carr/Getty Images, Charle Riedel/AP, Matt Slocum/AP, Brad Mangin/Getty Images and @BuzzFeedSports

 

You can read more stories on Boston startups, technology and innovation at https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/inno