Final, Red Sox 3-1: One more win.
The Red Sox are one win away from a World Series title after a 3-1 win in Game 5. Koji Uehara closed out an absolute gem by Jon Lester.
Lester — just as he did in Game 1 — pitched into the eighth inning of Game 5 while guiding the Red Sox to a win. He gave up just one run on four hits while striking out seven. The only blemish was Matt Holliday’s solo home run in the fourth inning.
The Red Sox jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of Game 5. Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz hit back-to-back doubles to open up the scoring.
Holliday took Lester deep with one out in the fourth inning, but the lefty settled down to retire 13 of the final 14 batters he faced before Koji Uehara entered with two outs in the eighth inning.
David Ross gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning on an RBI double down the left field line, and Jacoby Ellsbury made it 3-1 with an RBI single into center field. That was all that Lester and Uehara needed to seal the deal.
The series now shifts back to Boston. The Red Sox, who won championships on the road in 2004 and 2007, have an opportunity to win their first World Series title at home since 1918. John Lackey will face Michael Wacha in Game 6 on Wednesday.
Good night, everyone.
Mid 9th, Red Sox 3-1: We’ll head to the bottom of the ninth inning with the Red Sox leading 3-1.
Trevor Rosenthal struck out the side in the ninth inning. Xander Bogaerts, Stephen Drew and David Ross all went down swinging against the hard-throwing right-hander.
Koji Uehara now comes back out looking for his second save of the series and seventh of the postseason. The top of the Cardinals’ order is due up.
End 8th, Red Sox 3-1: Koji Uehara made quick work of Matt Adams.
Uehara struck out Adams on three pitches to seal off the eighth inning. The Red Sox are now three defensive outs away from a Game 5 victory.
Jon Lester was superb in his 7 2/3 innings of work. Lester gave up just one run on four hits while striking out seven. He threw 91 pitches (61 strikes) and didn’t walk anyone.
Trevor Rosenthal will try to keep St. Louis’ deficit at two runs in the ninth inning.
10:43 p.m., Red Sox 3-1: The Red Sox are turning to Koji Uehara for four outs.
Uehara is entering the game as part of a double-switch after 7 2/3 great innings from Jon Lester.
David Freese doubled down the right field line with one out, and Lester retired Pete Kozma before exiting.
Uehara enters to face pinch hitter Matt Adams. Mike Napoli will replace David Ortiz at first base.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 3-1: David Ortiz, who was retired for the first time in 10 plate appearances in his last at-bat, started a new streak in the eighth inning.
Ortiz yanked a ground ball to the right side with one out. Second baseman Matt Carpenter ranged out into the outfield grass to make the play, but Ortiz beat his throw for a single.
John Farrell and the trainer went out to check on Ortiz — or perhaps just to give the big guy a breather. Ortiz was all smiles, though, and everything checked out OK. Farrell opted to keep Ortiz in the game rather than turn to a pinch runner.
The Red Sox didn’t do any damage. Jonny Gomes struck out swinging, and Daniel Nava flied out to left field.
Jon Lester will come back out to begin the bottom of the eighth inning.
End 7th, Red Sox 3-1: Jon Lester looks like a man on a mission.
Lester tossed another 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. He has retired 11 in a row since Matt Holliday’s home run in the fourth inning.
Holliday led off the seventh inning with a fly ball to Jacoby Ellsbury. Carlos Beltran popped out to Stephen Drew, and Yadier Molina lined one right at Dustin Pedroia at second base to end the inning.
Lester has thrown 81 pitches (54 strikes) through seven innings. He has struck out seven and has given up just three hits.
Carlos Martinez will be the new Cardinals pitcher in the eighth inning. He’ll be greeted by Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Jonny Gomes.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 3-1: There’s no denying David Ross’ veteran leadership, game-calling ability and defensive prowess. But he can swing the bat, too.
Ross gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning with an RBI double down the left field line. Xander Bogaerts, who singled with one out, scored from second base. Stephen Drew, who walked, was forced to stop at third base because the ball hopped up into the seats.
John Farrell opted to keep Jon Lester in the game with runners at second and third and one out. Lester bounced back to the mound.
Jacoby Ellsbury gave the Red Sox their third run with a two-out single into center field. Drew scored, but Ross was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
After looking at the replay, Yadier Molina may have missed the tag on Ross. Nevertheless, the throw was there in time, and the catcher typically gets that call.
Either way, the Red Sox have a 3-1 lead with Lester heading back to the hill in the seventh inning.
End 6th, 1-1: Both starters showed up for Game 5.
Jon Lester worked a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, and he has now retired eight in a row since Matt Holliday’s solo homer in the fourth.
Adam Wainwright struck out to begin the sixth inning. Matt Carpenter and Shane Robinson then put the ball on the ground. Carpenter chopped one down to first base, and Robinson grounded to short.
Wainwright heads back out for the seventh inning. He hasn’t allowed a run since the first inning.
Mid 6th, 1-1: Adam Wainwright did the unthinkable in the sixth inning. He retired David Ortiz.
Ortiz stepped up in the sixth having reached safely in nine straight plate appearances. He was unable to make it 10, though, as Wainwright retired him on a hard-hit liner to center field.
Dustin Pedroia grounded to second base prior to Ortiz’s strikeout, and Jonny Gomes struck out after it. Wainwright now has nine strikeouts in this ballgame.
End 5th, 1-1: We’re all tied through five.
Jon Lester, who was hit hard in the fourth inning, got back on track in the fifth. He took care of Allen Craig, David Freese and Pete Kozma in order.
Craig grounded to second base, and Kozma popped out to David Ortiz in foul territory. Freese struck out swinging.
Lester went upstairs with a 2-2 fastball to strike out Freese. The lefty now has six strikeouts. He has thrown 59 pitches (41 strikes).
Mid 5th, 1-1: The Red Sox threatened in the fifth inning, but could not score.
Xander Bogaerts led off with a single into center field. Adam Wainwright started Bogaerts off with two curveballs to jump ahead in the count, 0-2. Wainwright then turned to his cutter, and the rookie hit a chopper up the middle.
Stephen Drew made his best contact of the series in the fifth inning. Drew drilled a ball toward the wall in right-center field. It looked like it had a chance to leave the park, but it didn’t carry. Carlos Beltran retreated to make the grab.
David Ross singled with one out to put runners at first and second. Jon Lester was the batter, though, and he failed to get down a bunt. Lester bunted a two-strike pitch foul for the second out of the inning.
Jacoby Ellsbury ended the threat by striking out. Ellsbury was visibly frustrated after going down swinging.
End 4th, 1-1: The Cardinals took some good rips in the fourth inning. One resulted in the ball leaving the yard.
Matt Holliday tied the game with a one-out solo homer. Jon Lester left a pitch up, and Holliday crushed it over the center field wall.
Busch Stadium really came alive on Holliday’s blast, and Carlos Beltran nearly made it back-to-back jacks. He took aim at the left field seats, but came up just short. Jonny Gomes raced back to the warning track to make the catch, leading to a collective groan amongst the crowd.
Yadier Madier then smoked a line drive to the left side. Stephen Drew, who has played a terrific shortstop all series, leaped into the air to make a fantastic catch. Drew really had to get up there to rob Molina of a hit.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: David Ortiz just keeps hitting.
Ortiz led off the fourth inning with a line-drive single over the shift and into right field. He’s now 10-for-13 in the series.
The Red Sox couldn’t do anything with Ortiz’s leadoff single, though. Jonny Gomes flied out down the left field line, and Daniel Nava broke his bat while bouncing into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Matt Carpenter wasn’t too thrilled about the call that ended the third inning.
David Freese started the inning with a single into center field. Pete Kozma bunted him up to second base.
Kozma nearly reached on the play. Jon Lester flipped over Kozma to David Ortiz at first base, resulting in a bang-bang play that went Boston’s way.
Lester struck out Adam Wainwright for the second out. Wainwright nearly fell down while taking an awkward hack at a cutter down and in.
Carpenter thought he had worked a two-out walk. Home plate umpire Bill Miller ruled that Lester’s 3-2 pitch caught the inside corner, though.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Adam Wainwright has settled down nicely after a first inning in which he surrendered two doubles.
Jon Lester led off with a little dribbler in front of the plate. Yadier Molina picked it up and fired to first base for the out, as Lester wasn’t running all that hard down the line.
Jacoby Ellsbury then popped out to David Freese in foul territory along the third base line, and Dustin Pedroia grounded to short.
End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Jon Lester induced a double play to finish off the second inning.
Carlos Beltran gave the Cardinals their first hit of the game. He led off the second inning with a single into center field.
Lester did a nice job of settling down after Beltran’s knock. It started with a strikeout of Yadier Molina, who went down looking on a cutter on the corner.
Allen Craig followed Molina’s strikeout with a ground ball to short. Stephen Drew initially bobbled it, but he had plenty of time to turn the double play, as Craig isn’t running well at all.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Adam Wainwright struck out the side again in the second inning. This time, he managed to eliminate the hits.
Wainwright struck out Xander Bogaerts, Stephen Drew and David Ross in order in the second inning. All three strikeouts were swinging.
Wainwright, who has six strikeouts total, has thrown 37 pitches through two innings.
The Red Sox have struck out more times this postseason than any team in MLB history. They entered Game 5 tied with the 2010 Giants.
End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: Jon Lester is off to a nice start.
Lester set the Cardinals down in order in the first inning. He capped the perfect frame with a strikeout of Matt Holliday.
Shane Robinson drilled a comebacker with one out. It ricocheted off Lester, but Dustin Pedroia made a nice play to handle it.
Lester climbed the ladder to strike out Holliday swinging.
Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: Adam Wainwright struck out the side in the first inning. The only problem for the Cardinals was that he also surrendered a pair of doubles.
Wainwright jumped ahead of Dustin Pedroia, 0-2, after striking out Jacoby Ellsbury to begin the game. But Pedroia stayed back on an 0-2 breaking ball and hammered it down the left field line.
David Ortiz, meanwhile, continued his torrid start to the World Series. Ortiz ripped a ground ball past a diving Allen Craig and down the right field line for an RBI double.
The ball must look like a beach ball to Ortiz right now. Ortiz is 9-for-12 in the series with two homers, two doubles and six RBIs. He’s a career .450 hitter (18-for-40) in the World Series.
Wainwright struck out Jonny Gomes and Daniel Nava to end the inning.
8:08 p.m.: Adam Wainwright delivers a first-pitch ball to Jacoby Ellsbury. Game 5 in St. Louis is underway.
7:50 p.m.: The elephant in the room for Game 5, obviously, is the whole glove fiasco that erupted during Jon Lester’s Game 1 dominance.
A Cardinals minor leaguer suggested on Twitter during Game 1 that Lester was using a foreign substance located inside of his glove. The Red Sox, Cardinals and Major League Baseball did a good job of squashing the whole situation, but you can bet that social media will be filled with comments throughout Game 5.
Lester, who usually sweats a lot on the mound, said that the substance was rosin. He was asked about his sweating habits Sunday.
“If people want to know how bad I sweat, that’s fine. I think we’ve covered that pretty well over the past couple of days. I’ve gotten a lot of crap from my friends and my wife on that one,” Lester said. “But I’m sure there’s going to be focus on my glove and focus on my hands and what I’m doing, but I’ve got to worry about the Cardinals. If I’m worried about what people are looking at, I’m worried about the wrong things. I’m going to go out and pitch my game.”
7:31 p.m.: This is the biggest start of Jon Lester’s career. And if the past is any indication, the Red Sox should have total confidence in the lefty.
Lester really added to his Red Sox legacy with his effort in Game 1 of the World Series. He tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings at Fenway Park to help Boston take a 1-0 lead in the series. Lester, of course, was given a standing ovation as he exited the game with two outs in the eighth inning.
Lester is now 5-4 with a 2.22 ERA in 10 career postseason starts. He hasn’t allowed a run in 13 1/3 innings in the Fall Classic, as he was also impressive in his start in Game 4 of the 2007 World Series.
This start comes with some added pressure. Lester had the benefit of working with a 3-0 series lead in ’07, and a poor outing in his Game 1 start this year wouldn’t have doomed the Red Sox. In Game 5, however, the Red Sox need Lester to be at his best, especially with red-hot rookie Michale Wacha looming in Game 6.
“Things don’t change, you just have to go out there. Obviously your emotions, your adrenaline, you’re playing for tomorrow, that changes. But when you get on that mound and you get past the first couple of pitches and you get kind of those jitters out of you and you start to settle in, that’s when it’s just baseball,” Lester said before Game 4 on Sunday. “That’s when it goes back to, we’ve got to execute all the way across the board all night to beat these guys, and they have to do the same thing.”
Lester is 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA in four starts this postseason.
7:04 p.m.: Be sure to tune in to NESN’s pregame coverage right now.
Tom Caron, Don Orsillo, Jenny Dell and Dennis Eckersley have all of your pre- and postgame coverage for Game 5.
5:57 p.m.: Apparently, Allen Craig is going to give it a go at first base.
Craig, who looked like he could barely make it to first base on a pinch-hit single in the ninth inning of Game 4, will play first base and bat sixth for the Cardinals in Game 5.
The updated lineups are below.
Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Daniel Nava, RF
Xander Bogaerts, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
David Ross, C
Jon Lester, LHP
Cardinals
Matt Carpenter, 2B
Shane Robinson, CF
Matt Holliday, LF
Carlos Beltran, RF
Yadier Molina, C
Allen Craig, 1B
David Freese, 3B
Pete Kozma, SS
Adam Wainwright, RHP
5:50 p.m.: Jake Peavy, who is lined up to be Boston’s Game 7 starter (if necessary), is available out of the bullpen in Game 5.
John Farrell also said that Clay Buchholz, who went four innings in Game 4, volunteered to pitch in relief in Game 6 or 7.
5:46 p.m.: Shane Victorino is available off the bench in Game 5, according to manager John Farrell.
Farrell said that Victorino has shown improvement. He’s hopeful that Victorino will return to the starting lineup in Game 6.
4:40 p.m.: Shane Victorino, who missed Game 4 with lower back tightness, will once again be out of the Red Sox’ lineup in Game 5.
Jonny Gomes will start again in Victorino’s absence. He’ll play left field, while Daniel Nava will shift over to right field.
The Red Sox’ order is getting a shakeup. Dustin Pedroia will bat second, and David Ortiz will bat third. Gomes and Nava are penciled into Boston’s No. 4 and No. 5 spots, respectively.
The complete Game 5 lineups are below.
Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Daniel Nava, RF
Xander Bogaerts, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
David Ross, C
Jon Lester, LHP
Cardinals
Matt Carpenter, 2B
Shane Robinson, CF
Matt Holliday, LF
Carlos Beltran, RF
Yadier Molina, C
Matt Adams, 1B
David Freese, 3B
Pete Kozma, SS
Adam Wainwright, RHP
8 a.m. ET: The World Series has become a best-of-three set. Whichever team wins two of the next three games will be crowned champion of the baseball world.
The Red Sox, as they’ve done time and time again, showed a tremendous amount of resilience while capturing Game 4 in St. Louis. The Sox lost Game 3 in heartbreaking fashion, lost Shane Victorino for Game 4 due to injury, sent an ailing Clay Buchholz to the mound, fell behind 1-0, and yet still managed to even up the series with a victory Sunday.
Jonny Gomes delivered the big blow in Game 4. Gomes, who was inserted into the starting lineup once Victorino was scratched with lower back tightness, connected on a three-run homer in the sixth inning that put the Red Sox ahead 4-1. The Red Sox hung on for a 4-2 win, with the last out coming via a pickoff. Koji Uehara caught pinch-runner Kolten Wong leaning at first base.
The Red Sox’ Game 4 win ensured that there will be at least one more game at Fenway Park in 2013. In fact, there’s guaranteed to be a World Series celebration at Fenway this week. It’s up to the Red Sox to make sure that it’s them partying in front of the hometown fans.
There is still one more game to be played in St. Louis before the series shifts back to Boston. Jon Lester and Adam Wainwright will square off in a pivotal Game 5. It’s a rematch of Game 1, in which Lester went 7 2/3 innings before walking off the mound to a standing ovation at Fenway Park. Wainwright, meanwhile, settled down after a shaky start, but was done in by the Cardinals’ sloppy defense.
Monday’s Game 5 action is scheduled to get underway at 8:07 p.m. Be sure to stick around with NESN.com throughout the day for updates.
