The World Series isn’t like the Super Bowl. You don’t have huge events in the week leading up to the game. You don’t have endless analysis, rehashing the same point 25 times (maybe just 10 times). You don’t have hoopla and spectacle, you just have the game for the most part.
Which means, in that zone between the last out of the LCS and the first pitch of the World Series, things get awfully quiet. Like people are holding their breath, just waiting to see what comes next.
The Red Sox announced that Jon Lester will take the hill for Game 1, meaning that our pitching matchup for the first game is fully revealed. We’ll leave the specific analysis of that for tomorrow (I mean, we’ve got to have something for the day of the game, right?) but on the face of it, the Sox look to take advantage of the Cardinal weakness against left-handed pitching. However, if confidence is a large part of hitting, St. Louis might not be the pushover you’d expect, given that they just beat around the best left-hander in the game today.
Allen Craig looks more and more likely to be on the roster when they are submitted tomorrow morning. There’s even the possibility that by Game 5*, he could play first base when Lester comes back around, letting Matt Adams pinch-hit in that one.
*if necessary
There are a few looks at Yadier Molina out there. One is on the official site, one is at the Post-Dispatch, and one is over with our friends at Lasorda’s Lair. (BTW, you can find my answers to their questions before Game 6 right here, if you’d like to see what I was thinking.) Obviously Yadi is a huge factor in this Series, especially if he’s able to affect the running game of Boston. Keeping those guys off the bases is the main priority, but being able to keep them from running wild is second.
Again, though, it’s a quiet time in baseball as we prepare for the end. A maximum of seven games left in the season. Let’s hope the Cardinals win four of them and make this winter a warm one!
By the way, if you are interested in hearing me verbalize some of my thoughts on this Series, I was a guest on the Case and Point podcast last night. Should be around 20 minutes in, though listen to the whole thing!
