World Series 2013: Game 6 Preview and Prediction for Cardinals vs. Red Sox

The St. Louis Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the World Series with a pair of home games left, and it looked like they were set to take complete control. Instead, the Boston Red Sox fought back to win the final two games at Busch Stadium and head back home looking to finish the job in Game 6.

In a rematch from Game 2, rising star Michael Wacha will take the mound for the Cardinals against Red Sox veteran starter John Lackey on Wednesday night. St. Louis' outstanding rookie narrowly out-dueled his counterpart to help the Cards win their first meeting.

With all due respect to Adam Wainwright—the staff ace who had a terrific regular season—it's hard to imagine the Cardinals wanting anybody other than Wacha out there for an elimination game. He's handled the postseason pressure like a battle-tested pro so far and has been lights out since the start of September.

The 22-year-old right-hander didn't join the team until late May and spent some time coming out of the bullpen during the regular season.

It was a relief outing in late August when everything seemed to click for him. He entered the game for Wainwright, who had given up nine runs in two innings against the Cincinnati Reds, and pitched four scoreless frames with seven strikeouts.

Wacha returned to the starting rotation after that performance and never looked back. He posted a 1.72 ERA in the final month of the regular season, including a near no-hitter in his last start. He's carried that momentum over to the playoffs, with just three earned runs against in 27 innings while striking out 28 batters.

Another strong start from him is the biggest key for the Cardinals in Game 6. He got himself into some jams in Game 2 due to an uncharacteristically high number of walks, and the talented Red Sox lineup won't let him get away with a lack of control in two-straight starts.

The other critical factor for St. Louis is getting more production from the top of the order. Matt Carpenter and Shane Robinson went hitless in seven at-bats in Game 5, leaving little chance for the team's other sluggers to change the course of the game.

Carpenter had a very strong regular season and remains the team's best leadoff option. The two-hole should feature somebody with a better track record of getting on base, however, whether it be Yadier Molina, Allen Craig or David Freese. After all, Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran need players on the base paths that they can drive in.

As for the Red Sox, the most promising sign from their two victories in St. Louis was the added production from players in the bottom part of the order. Jonny Gomes, Xander Bogaerts and David Ross all helped the cause.

David Ortiz has been virtually unstoppable, but he needed help to get the Red Sox back on track. Those unsung heroes helped the slugger turn a series deficit into a 3-2 lead.

In order to close it out in Game 6, Boston needs Lackey to pitch more like he did against the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS than he did against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS or during his first start against the Cardinals. In the latter two starts, he gave up seven runs in 11.2 innings.

In Game 2, he was rolling right along until the seventh inning, when he got himself into some trouble with a hit and a walk, and Craig Breslow was unable to end the rally before the Cardinals took the lead. It will be interesting to see how much leeway the Red Sox give Lackey in Game 6.

Ultimately, the Cardinals should hold the edge in the pitching matchup, and something about this series screams "seven games." Wacha should do enough to make sure St. Louis is able to force a winner-take-all finale.

Prediction: Cardinals 5, Red Sox 3