The Boston Red Sox beat the St Louis Cardinals 4-2 in Game 4 of the World Series, tying the series at two games apiece.
The Red Sox came into this game expecting it to largely be a bullpen game thanks to the faltering health of Clay Buchholz. And while Buchholz did only last four innings for the Sox, he pitched relatively well. In his four innings of work, Buchholz allowed just one unearned run on three hits, walking three and punching out two. He worked out of a first and second, one out situation in the second. In the third, the Cardinals got their first run of the game when Carlos Beltran singled in Matt Carpenter, who singled and moved to second on the play after Jacoby Ellsbury bobbled the ball in center.
Buchholz was relieved by Felix Doubront, who was outstanding. Doubront allowed just one run on one hit in 2 2/3 innings, striking out three without a walk. Doubront kept the Sox in this one when their offense was floundering early on.
The Red Sox finally got on board in the fifth. David Ortiz led off with a double, and St Louis starter Lance Lynn proceeded to walk both Jonny Gomes and Xander Bogaerts to load the bases with none out for Stephen Drew. Drew hit a sac fly to score Ortiz and tie the game at one before Lynn struck out David Ross and got pinch hitter Mike Carp to ground out to end the inning with no further damage.
There would be no such good fortune in the sixth. After Lynn retired Ellsbury and Daniel Nava to start the inning, he gave up a single to Dustin Pedroia and walked Ortiz. Mike Matheny pulled Lynn and replaced him with Seth Maness, who promptly allowed a three-run homer to Gomes to put Boston in front.
Disaster almost struck for the Red Sox in the seventh, Doubront's final inning of work. Just like Lynn in the sixth, Doubront retired the first two hitters. But after those first two outs, Shane Robinson doubled, and Doubront was replaced with Craig Breslow. Breslow, who has been off his game all series, allowed an RBI single to Carpenter and walked Beltran before getting pulled. Junichi Tazawa got Matt Holliday to ground out to end the Cardinals' threat in the seventh.
The Cardinals put a runner on base in each of the eighth and ninth innings, but couldn't score in either. Yadier Molina reached on a two-base error by Bogaerts and moved up to third on a wild pitch by John Lackey with one out, but Lackey got out of the inning thanks to a pop up and ground out. In the ninth, a gimpy Allen Craig singled off of the right field wall with one out, but after another pop out for the second out, Koji Uehara picked off pinch runner Kolten Wong to end the game and guarantee a Game 6 in Boston.
Game 3 ends on a walk-off interference call. Game 4 ends on a pickoff. What's next in Game 5, Game 6, and possibly Game 7?
Game 5 of the series will be Monday in St Louis, airing at 8 PM on Fox. The pitching matchup will be a rematch of Game 1, with the Red Sox sending Jon Lester to the mound and the Cardinals countering with Adam Wainwright. Our social recap will also return for the final two or three games of the series, and hopefully everyone enjoys it once again.
