World Series Schedule 2013: Viewing Info and Prediction for Fall Classic
Baseball fans are spoiled.
While some may disagree because the same teams continually going deep into the postseason can be frustrating, all fans can agree on one thingโthe 2013 edition of the Fall Classic features the two best teams in baseball.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox were the teams with the top records in baseball. As MLB on Twitter illustrates, these two teams are quite familiar with success and meeting one another in the World Series:
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Last time these teams met, Boston broke an 86-year curse to win, all way back in 2004. The loss wasย in no way a lasting blow for St. Louis, however, as the Cardinals went on to win the World Series titles in 2006 and 2011.
This may not be as important as their last meeting from a historical perspective, but it is an exciting matchup with plenty of intricacies nonetheless. Here's a look at the full slate of games, with a prediction after the jump.
| 1 | Wed., Oct. 23 | St. Louis Cardinals @ Boston Red Sox | 7:30 p.m. | FOX | Adam Wainwright (STL) vs. Jon Lester (BOS) |
| 2 | Thurs., Oct 24 | St. Louis Cardinals @ Boston Red Sox | 7:30 p.m. | FOX | Michael Wacha (STL) vs. Clay Buchholz (BOS) |
| 3 | Sat., Oct. 26 | Boston Red Sox @ St. Louis Cardinals | 7:30 p.m. | FOX | John Lackey (BOS) vs. Joe Kelly (STL) |
| 4 | Sun., Oct. 27 | Boston Red Sox @ St. Louis Cardinals | 8 p.m. | FOX | TBD |
| 5* | Mon., Oct. 28 | Boston Red Sox @ St. Louis Cardinals | 7:30 p.m. | FOX | TBD |
| 6* | Wed., Oct. 30 | St. Louis Cardinals @ Boston Red Sox | 7:30 p.m. | FOX | TBD |
| 7* | Thurs., Oct. 31 | St. Louis Cardinals @ Boston Red Sox | 7:30 p.m. | FOX | TBD |
*Watch postseason baseball live onย TBS.com or your mobile device.
World Series Prediction
As far as predictions go, this one looks far too obvious.
St. Louis has a pitching staff more than capable of shutting down Boston, a team that had issues pushing runs across the plate in the ALCS against Detroit.
The Cardinals tout an elite combo in Adam Wainwright and Michael Wachaโthe former is a young stud only on the roster thanks to a smart decision that fans surely hated at the time. Wacha joined the Cardinals as a compensatory first-round pick in the Albert Pujols trade.
Since then, Wacha has done nothing but go 3-0 with one earned run in over 20 innings and took home the NLDS MVP award.
Perhaps the scariest part for the Red Sox is that it appears Waintwright will start in Games 1 and 2, while Wacha is slated to start in Games 5 and 6.
Shane Victorinioโowner of a .125 average in the ALCSโand Co. have been dormant for most of the postseason, and things won't get any better against the aforementioned elite pair.
Even if Boston can get by with a few runs against the impressive starters St. Louis fields, the Red Sox will then be forced to deal with a stellar bullpen consisting of Carlos Martinez, Trevor Rosenthal, and Seth Manessโto name a few.
While Boston has its own impressive slate of pitchers led by Jon Lester, a strength versus strength matchup here will not do the Red Sox any favors. St. Louis has the perfect lineup to counter Boston.
Prediction: Cardinals in six
Follow B/R's Chris Roling on Twitter for more news and analysisย @Chris_Roling
