Game 3 of the 2013 World Series will be played on Saturday night, and if this game is anything like we’ve seen through the first two, it should be quite a fun one to watch.
The Boston Red Sox were able to take Game 1 quite easily, winning 8-1 over the St. Louis Cardinals. Game 2 was a different story, however, as the Cardinals were able to win 4-2 thanks to a wild seventh inning.
Below is a full breakdown of Game 3, including viewing information, previewing both teams and predicting the final score.
Viewing Information
Date: Saturday, Oct. 26
Time: 8:07 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Boston Red Sox
Starting Pitcher: Jake Peavy
At 32 years old, Jake Peavy will finally be making his first career start in the World Series, but it hasn’t been the most successful postseason for the established veteran.
In his two starts during the playoffs this year, Peavy has struggled. He’s allowed eight earned runs and 10 hits in just 8.2 innings of work, giving him an ERA of 8.31. In his 23 starts during the regular season, Peavy wasn’t great, but he was solid with a 12-5 record and a 4.17 ERA.
Before this year, Peavy had just two career postseason starts. Both of those starts happened to be against the Cardinals in 2005 and 2006 when he was with the San Diego Padres. They didn’t go well, however, as he gave up a total of 13 runs.
This is a huge opportunity for Peavy to add to what has been a very successful career, but he’s going to really turn it around after giving up seven earned runs in just three innings against the Detroit Tigers in his last start.
Player to Watch: David Ortiz
When it comes to the Red Sox, there’s no player more popular than David Ortiz.
Ortiz has already come up with a home run in each of the first two games of the World Series. He’s gone 4-for-6 with five RBI, making his case for the World Series MVP award if the Red Sox can win it all.
In the playoffs, Ortiz is hitting .268 with 12 RBI and five home runs, the most of any player this postseason. He’s also been walked nine times, giving him an on-base percentage of .392.
After hitting 30 home runs and 103 RBI while hitting .309 this past season, Ortiz has had an equally impressive postseason. At 37 years old, his career is slowly starting to wind down, but if he can have another solid game or two in this series, he could be the MVP.
St. Louis Cardinals
Starting Pitcher: Joe Kelly
At just 25 years old, Joe Kelly is starting to develop nicely as a starting pitcher for the Cardinals, but he needs to step up big in Game 3.
Kelly got limited action as a starter in 2013, playing in 37 games and starting in 15 of them. When he was out there, he was solid, posting a 2.69 ERA and 124 hits in 124 innings pitched.
In the postseason, Kelly has been an average starter, not living up to how he played in the regular season. He’s allowed nine total runs and 18 hits in 16.1 innings pitched, leaving something to be desired.
Kelly struggled limiting walks in the regular season, giving up 44, but he’s also done a good job forcing ground balls and limiting extra-base hits. If he can focus on continuing to get batters out with balls in the dirt, Kelly could have a shot to pull out the win.
Player to Watch: Carlos Beltran
The clear leader of the Cardinals stepped up in Game 2, but before the game there was fear that he wasn’t even going to be able to play.
In Game 1, Beltran was able to rob Ortiz of a grand slam, but the Cardinals likely wished he had just let it go in the loss. According to Matt Snyder of CBSSports.com, Beltran suffered a severe rib bruise on the play and was listed as day-to-day.
That didn’t stop Beltran from playing in Game 2, however. He was big in the win, going 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the seventh inning.
This postseason, Beltran is hitting .273 with two home runs and a league-leading 13 runs batted in. He’s come up with plenty of big plays in the playoffs, including a walk-off single in the bottom of the 13th inning in Game 1 of the NLCS.
The big question will be if Beltran can continue to play at a high level with the rib injury. If he can, then the Cardinals could rally behind him.
Prediction
Both starting pitchers have had their struggles, but I think that Peavy is the first one to get rattled and pulled.
Peavy has dealt with inconsistency this season, and he’s yet to have a solid outing in the postseason. Kelly has the age advantage and likely has a less tired arm.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals are going to be playing in front of their home crowd for the first time in this series, and that can actually play a big role in the game.
While all eyes will be on Beltran, look for others like Yadier Molina, Matt Holliday and Allen Craig to step up in this one and give the Cardinals some much-needed runs.
Prediction: Cardinals 7, Red Sox 4
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