By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Adam Wainwright settled down after a rough start in Game 1 of the World Series, but the St. Louis Cardinals haven't cashed in on the few scoring chances they've had against Boston's Jon Lester.
Lester has scattered five hits and a walk while fanning six as the Red Sox lead the opener of the Fall Classic, 5-0, through six innings.
Boston took advantage of several early miscues and jumped on top via Mike Napoli's three-run double in the first inning.
Lester shut down the NL champs over the first three frames and worked out of jams in the fourth and fifth. With the bases loaded and one out in the fourth, he got 2011 World Series MVP David Freese to bounce into a 1-2-3 double play.
Jonny Gomes made a diving catch to rob Matt Adams of a hit to start the fifth, proving vital after the Cardinals put runners on second and third with two outs. Jon Jay grounded out to short to end the threat.
Jay was an in-game replacement for the injured Carlos Beltran, who suffered a right rib contusion in the second inning after robbing David Ortiz of a grand slam.
Wainwright, making his first World Series start, retired 10 of the final 11 hitters he faced following Ortiz's sacrifice fly. The All-Star right-hander allowed five runs -- three earned -- on six hits and a walk.
John Axford relieved Wainwright in the sixth and struck out the side.
This is the fourth time these storied franchises have met in the Fall Classic. St. Louis won the first two in 1946 and 1967, and the Red Sox famously returned the favor in 2004 to end their 86-year title drought.
Only Ortiz and St. Louis' Yadier Molina remain from the matchup from nine years ago, and Ortiz was prominently involved in a controversial play in the first inning Wednesday when he bounced into what appeared to be a tailor-made double play with one out and runners on first and second.
Pete Kozma dropped Matt Carpenter's flip to the second-base bag, however, and Dana DeMuth's ensuing call caused a firestorm. The second base umpire ruled Kozma lost control on the exchange and Dustin Pedroia out at second as a result.
Red Sox manager John Farrell sprung from the dugout to argue, and after an extended meeting with all six umpires, the call was reversed. Mike Matheny, who like Farrell is managing in his first World Series, went out for a heated exchange with the men in blue, but his appeal fell on deaf ears.
With the bases now loaded, Napoli delivered a line drive into the left-field gap. A generous bounce off the Green Monster allowed Ortiz to score all the way from first after Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia easily crossed the plate.
Boston loaded the bases again in the second. Wainwright and Molina stared at one another as Stephen Drew's pop up dropped between them to start the inning. David Ross followed with a single, and two batters later Kozma couldn't handle Shane Victorino's tough ground ball in the hole.
Pedroia singled past a diving David Freese at third to bring in a run, and Ortiz brought the Fenway Park crowd to its feet when he belted a pitch deep to right field.
Beltran, though, casually made a grand slam-saving catch at the wall just as he ran into it, and Ross tagged up and scored for a 5-0 lead for the AL champs.
In obvious pain after making the catch, Beltran went to the locker room the next half-inning, and Jay took his place in the lineup. The Cardinals announced later Beltran was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
The Game 1 winner has won nine of the last 10 World Series.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/red-sox-still-up-5-0-in-game-1