The Cardinals defeated the Red Sox in a World Series game for the first time since 1967, as they took Game 2 by a score of 4-2 at Fenway Park on Thursday night.

The difference in the game came in the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Red Sox made two errors on the same play to gift the Cardinals two runs and the lead. Matt Carpenter lifted a fly ball to left field with the bases loaded, and Jonny Gomes’ throw home squeaked past Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Craig Breslow, who was backing up home plate, fired an errant throw into left field that allowed the second run to score from third base. Carlos Beltran closed out the three-run inning with a one-run single to right field.

John Lackey’s strong performance, in which he was charged with three runs over six and one-third innings, wasn’t enough. Cardinals rookie sensation Michael Wacha, who had only allowed one run in 21 postseason innings prior to Thursday, surrendered a two-run home run to David Ortiz in the sixth inning. He struck out six batters in the win.

Cardinals Young Arms Too Much To Handle

The Cardinals won Game 2 behind three pitchers who are 23-years-old or younger, just as they’ve been doing all postseason long.

Wacha was impressive, as he featured a mid 90s fastball and a changeup that he buried in on the hands of right-handed batters. But the Red Sox worked up his pitch count, drawing four walks and causing him to throw 114 pitches in six innings.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the man who replaced Wacha was even nastier than he was. Carlos Martinez, who was in the Red Sox organization for a brief period of time, has struck out nine batters in nine and two-third innings in the playoffs.

Martinez, nicknamed ‘Baby Pedro,’ has a blistering fastball and devastating slider. After Jacoby Ellsbury reached base on an error to begin the eighth inning, Martinez got both Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia to strike out swinging.

Closer Trevor Rosenthal struck out the side in the ninth inning, fanning Gomes, Saltalamacchia and pinch-hitter Daniel Nava on gas in the upper 90s.

Gomes and Saltalamacchia went a combined 0-7 with three strikeouts in Game 2, and have struck out 26 times in 61 at-bats this postseason. It’s time for Farrell to replace both of them in the lineup. (Stephen Drew is now 4-42 in the playoffs, but the Red Sox value his defense at shortstop. And rightfully so, given how smooth he looked in Game 2. If the Red Sox are behind, Farrell can always pinch-hit for him late.)

It’s fine that Farrell wanted to play Gomes against right-handed pitching over Nava in the ALCS because of intangibles. The Red Sox won the series, so he got leeway to start Gomes in Game 1 against Adam Wainwright because of “momentum.” The Red Sox won that game too, so Farrell stuck Gomes back in the lineup for Game 2 even though the team has been winning in spite of him.

Gomes is hitting .128 in the playoffs. Farrell’s stubbornness is no longer amusing nor admirable. It’s hurting the club. Daniel Nava hit .303 with an .831 OPS this season. He should start all three games in left field in St. Louis.

Saltalamacchia has consistently been praised for his improvements behind the plate, but he’s still not as good defensively as David Ross. Given Saltalamacchia’s slump, Farrell should start Ross at catcher and go with defense.

Defense Hurt Red Sox In Pivotal Seventh Inning

The Red Sox beat themselves in Game 2 just as the Cardinals had beat themselves in Game 1. Lackey exited the seventh inning after he walked David Freese and allowed a single to Jon Jay with one out. Breslow, who had not allowed a run in the playoffs, was called upon to extinguish the fire. Instead, he set it to flames.

Breslow walked the number nine man, Daniel Descalso, to load the bases. Carpenter then hit a routine fly ball to left field, and pinch-runner Pete Kozma tagged up from third base. Gomes’ throw went wide of home plate, and Saltalamacchia didn’t move to block it. He stayed on the plate, and the ball trickled past him. Breslow was backing up the play, and tried to throw out Jay at third base. He launched the ball into left field; however, and Jay scored easily.

Breslow’s decision to throw the ball to third was horrific, but if Saltalamacchia had blocked the wide throw from Gomes he would’ve never been given the opportunity to make that mistake. For the first time this postseason, the Red Sox cost themselves a game.

(In a perfect world, Farrell would’ve summoned Koji Uehara to face the lead-off hitter Carpenter with the bases loaded. It was the most important moment of the game, and Uehara is the best reliever on the team. But, this is not a perfect world and closers don’t enter games in the seventh inning. The conventional wisdom in baseball says it’s much better for a team to save its best reliever for a hypothetical save scenario that may never arise.)

Big Papi Is A Bad, Bad Man

With his game-leading two-run home run in the sixth inning, Ortiz now has two more career playoff home runs and 16 more RBI than Babe Ruth. Granted, he has 154 more postseason at-bats than Ruth, but let’s not let details get in the way of a good anecdote.

Ortiz launched a 3-2 changeup deep into the Monster Seats, showing the kind of hitter he is. He was sitting changeup, just as he was sitting fastball against hard-throwing lefty Kevin Siegrist when he blasted a home run against him on Wednesday night.

Ortiz has 64 more career home runs and an OPS that is 29 points higher than Edgar Martinez, who many consider to be the best DH of all-time.

At 38-years-old, Ortiz appears to be far from finished. He is 27 home runs shy of 400, which means he will probably surpass that landmark sometime next season. Add on the postseason heroics, and Ortiz is making himself a very strong case for the Hall of Fame.

Don’t Forget About Lackey

Lackey arguably out-pitched Wacha in Game 2, as his only mistake came when he left a fastball high in the zone to Matt Holliday in third inning. Holliday whacked it for a triple, and scored on a Yadier Molina ground ball later in the frame.

Lackey has struck out 14 batters and only walked two men over his past 14 innings. He would be slated to get the ball in a potentially decisive Game 6, and the Red Sox couldn’t feel better about it.

This season has been remarkable for Lackey, especially considering he went back on the DL after he strained his bicep in his first start of the year in Toronto. He’s been the epitome of professional this entire season, and has shown why he’s so lauded in the clubhouse.

After the game, for example, Lackey took the fall for Breslow.

Looking Ahead

The Red Sox will travel to St. Louis for Games 3, 4 and 5 tied with the Cardinals at one win a piece.

Jake Peavy will get the start for Game 3 after he allowed seven runs over three innings in Game 4 of the ALCS. Clay Buchholz has been pushed back to Game 4, as reports indicate he’s suffering from arm fatigue.

Though Farrell continues to insist Buchholz will pitch this weekend, his status is a story worth watching. The Cardinals will counter with righties Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn in Games 3 and 4.

Photos and GIFs via Jim Rogash/Getty Images, Elise Amendola/AP, Jared Wickerham/Getty Images, Rob Carr/Getty Images and @BuzzFeedSports

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