The Boston Red Sox turned what was expected to be a closely fought match into a ghastly rout, bombarding the St. Louis Cardinals, 1-8, at Fenway Park in Boston.

Coming out with bats blazing, the Red Sox capitalised on the erratic pitching of Adam Wainwright, who allowed three and two runs in the first and second innings, respectively. Mike Napoli came to the plate with the bases loaded and unleashed a double to left center field. Wainwright also committed a crucial pitching error that allowed another bases-loaded situation, bringing up the Red Sox's lead to 5-0. After five innings, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny had seen enough and pulled Wainwright out of the mound.

In the meantime, Jon Lester struck out eight batters over 7 2/3 innings and allowed just five hits in a near-perfect game. David Ortiz also added a home run in the seventh inning to go with three RBIs. The Cardinals' only run of the night came from Matt Holliday, whose ninth-inning home run came when the game was already decided.

St. Louis has a not-so-hidden ace up their sleeves, rookie pitcher Michael Wacha, who has been the revelation of the postseason so far. Wacha was voted NLCS MVP after allowing just two walks and striking out 13 LA Dodger batters. How Wacha will fare against the likes of Ortiz, though, is still in question.

In addition, Cardinals slugger Carlos Beltran is listed as day-to-day after hitting the bullpen wall while robbing Ortiz of a a grand slam. Beltran left for the dugout with a right rib contusion in the second inning. X-rays were negative for a fracture, though, and the Cardinals might just use him in Game 2.

For the Red Sox, there is very little to change about their game. They are playing at home where they are 53-28 for the season. Their starting pitcher for Game 2, John Lackey is also no pushover, having struck out 1,626 in his 11-year career.

Game 2 of the 2013 World Series will be played at Fenway Park, Boston. The Red Sox hold a 1-0 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in their fourth World Series meeting.

Live Stream & Schedule

High Quality: HD Live Streaming, Boxscore, Play-by-Play of World Series Game 2

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