Jon Lester tossed 7⅔ innings of one-run ball and David Ortiz went 3-for-4 and drove in a run to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the World Series on Monday. The Red Sox lead the series, 3-2.
Red Sox vs. Cardinals, 2013 World Series Game 5 final score: Boston tops St. Louis, 3-1
The Red Sox stole another game from Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright and are a win away from their third World Series title in 10 seasons.
Lester notched seven strikeouts and allowed only four hits to earn his second victory of the series. He has allowed only one run in 15⅓ innings in his two World Series starts.
Ortiz knocked in the first run of the game with a double in the first inning. The 37-year-old slugger added two more hits to finish 3-for-4 and raise his series batting average to .733.
Matt Holliday provided the only offense for the Cardinals with a solo home run off of Lester in the fourth inning. Holliday, who also homered in the ninth inning in Game 1, has both of St. Louis' homers in the series. Not many other players have stepped up during the first five games, and that was certainly the case again on Monday. David Freese had a pair of hits, but the Cardinals went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, spoiling a good start from Adam Wainwright.
The Cardinals' ace struck out six batters in the first two innings and finished with 10 punch-outs in seven frames. However, he allowed a pair of runs on three hits, including a tie-breaking double off the bat of David Ross, in his final inning.
Red Sox closer Koji Uehara shut the door on St. Louis’ 2013 home campaign with a four-out save that included a pair of strikeouts.
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