2013 World Series: Pitching And Defense Preview

Oct 18, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals fans hold up a sign referencing starting pitcher Wacha (52) in game six of the National League Championship Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 World Series begins on Wednesday. In anticipation of Game 1, we will breakdown the pitching, hitting and give a prediction of the 2013 World Series. Here is the pitching breakdown of the two teams:

Starting Pitching: Cardinals (Slight)

When you have a rookie who was drafted only 16 months ago as one of two aces in your 4 man starting rotation, you get the edge here. That’s not to say the Red Sox don’t have a stellar pitching staff but their staff is a little older than the Cardinals, With little postseason, let alone World Series, experience; I can’t see them being poised and executing at a high level.

Bullpen: Push

These are 2 of the best bullpens in major league baseball. The left handed specialists are studs, the set up men are nasty and the closers are getting the job done. Koji Uehara is a stud on the mound. The ALCS MVP  played in 5 games throwing 6 innings and recording 3 saves. On the Cardinals, Trevor Rosenthal is just as impressive. Rosenthal has pitched 7 innings giving up no runs and recording 2 saves in the NLCS. Both bullpens are outstanding.

Defense: Cardinals

The Boston Red Sox were 8th in the MLB in least errors committed in the 2013 regular season. The St. Louis Cardinals were 4th. The Boston Red Sox were 9th in the MLB in fielding percentage, the Cardinals were 5th. The Boston Red Sox had a very good defense, but the Cardinals were just better.

Check back here tomorrow as we preview the hitting and managers of the 2 World Series participants.

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