Ben Buchanan:
> In the end, this World Series is likely going to come down to how well the Red Sox can adjust to what just happened against Detroit. If the Cardinals can execute the same game plan the Tigers did on the mound, and the Red Sox can’t make the changes necessary to avoid striking out 10+ times every game, then it’s hard to see a path to victory. Particularly when presented with the prospect of three games without the DH.
> If, however, the Red Sox can make the necessary changes, or if the Cardinals just don’t quite have the arms to pull it off–it’s not exactly shameful to be second-best to Detroit’s madness–then the Red Sox could have their offense back to being what it was in the regular season, particularly with Xander Bogaerts now starting games at third. And with a solid backing from a rotation of Lester – Lackey – Buchholz – Peavy, that’s going to be tough to beat.
In the later games of the Detroit series, it seemed like the Sox finally figured out the right mix between grinding out at-bats and jumping on pitches they thought were going to be strikes. I hope that continues tonight.