Boston @ St. Louis preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 27, 2013 ) Boston 4, St. Louis 2

The first four games of the World Series have been won by the team that makes the fewest mistakes. Both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox will attempt to take control of the series when the former hosts Game 5 on Monday. The big mistake of Game 4 was a high sinker to Jonny Gomes, who deposited it beyond the left-field wall to give the Red Sox a 4-2 win.

St. Louis became the first team in history to end a World Series game on a pickoff when its other big mistake came back to bite it on Sunday. Rookie Kolten Wong was nabbed at first base to end the game with Carlos Beltran at the plate representing the tying run. That marks two straight series games ending in historic fashion after Boston made the big mistake of Game 3 on an obstruction call at third base.

TV: 8:07 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Jon Lester (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (0-1, 5.40)

Lester dominated in Game 1, striking out eight and scattering five hits in 7 2/3 scoreless innings. The 29-year-old has not allowed a run in 13 1/3 career innings in the World Series and is dominant in the 2013 postseason with five runs allowed in 27 total innings. Lester’s worst start of the playoffs was his lone road turn, when he surrendered two runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings at Detroit.

Wainwright did not get a lot of help from the defense behind him in Game 1 and ended up being charged with five runs (three earned) on six hits in five innings. That made two straight losses in the postseason for Wainwright, who came out on the bad end of a 3-0 shutout at Los Angeles in the National League Championship Series. Wainwright got the win in each of his two postseason starts at home, yielding two runs on 11 hits in 16 combined innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Red Sox have committed errors in five straight games.

2. St. Louis 3B David Freese, who is the 2011 World Series MVP, is 1-for-12 with four strikeouts in the set.

3. Boston DH David Ortiz is playing 1B in the NL park and has reached base safely in each of his last seven trips to the plate.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 3, Cardinals 2