World Series 2013: Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals Game 4 preview

Oct 26, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Allen Craig (21) scores the winning run on an obstruction call even though Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (39) gets the tag on him during the ninth inning of game three of the MLB baseball World Series at Busch Stadium. Cardinals won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Who: Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis

When: 8:07 PM, ET – FOX

Series record: 2-1, St. Louis

I’d like to say that there is no possible way that the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals can top the excitement we saw in Game 3, come Game 4, but judging by what we’ve seen in this series – the best is yet to come.

After a back-and-forth Game 3 which ended in a walk-off obstruction call (bet you’ve never seen one of those before), the two teams will hit the field again.

For the Red Sox, Clay Buchholz will take the mound, this after being moved back from his originally scheduled Game 3 start. The Red Sox starter missed a large portion of the season with injury and days ago was said to be dealing with a ‘physical issue’. That issue proved to be arm fatigue, which forced the Red Sox to give their starter an extra day of rest. There’s no word on how healthy Buchholz is feeling coming into Game 4, though, there’s reason to be concerned. The Boston bullpen was also chewed up a bit in Game 3, so if Buchholz can’t eat innings, the bullpen may be forced to overextend themselves in a pivotal Game 4.

Meanwhile for St. Louis, Lance Lynn will take the hill. Lynn has been pretty woeful in his three postseason appearances this season, posting a 5.40 ERA, though, five of his seven earned runs came in the Division Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

If there is a plus for the Cardinals, despite Lynn’s poor postseason, he’s been downright filthy at home this season, posting a 2.82 ERA compared to a 5.15 ERA on the road.

As to the lineup, it was expected that Allen Craig would likely be in the field for Game 4, though after an awkward slide to end Game 3, St. Louis may opt to keep his bat on the bench considering he was already a question mark to play in the field.

Boston on the the other hand is expected to start David Ortiz again at first base and are contemplating putting Mike Napoli at third base in an effort to get his bat in the lineup. Napoli was regulated to pinch hitting duties in Game 3 due to the removal of the designated hitter.

St. Louis will look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead with the opportunity to close things out on Monday night while Boston will look to tie the series at two games apiece.

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