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BOSTON – It was just one game but it was an ugly one for the St. Louis Cardinals, who will be looking to bounce back from last nights 8-1 defeat to the Red Sox in the World Series opener. A lot will be asked of Cardinals rookie starter Michael Wacha, especially with the apparent reemergence of David Ortiz as a potent offensive threat for the Red Sox. Heres a closer look at tonights game. GAME TWO PREVIEW: PITCHING MATCHUP Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (Regular season: 4-1, 2.78, 1.098 WHIP in 64.2IP; Playoffs: 3GS: 3-0, 0.43, 0.571 WHIP in 21IP) Wacha has never faced the Red Sox or any of Bostons hitters. LINEUP CONSIDERATIONS The Cardinals will make a decision on Carlos Beltrans availability after he takes part in warm up drills and baseball activities this afternoon. Beltran badly bruised the right side of his rib cage crashing into the right field wall while he robbed David Ortiz of a second inning grand slam. Beltran finished the inning in the field but did not return in the third. If Beltran cant play, the Cardinals offence takes an obvious hit. Even if Beltran is in the lineup, he wont be 100 per cent, which will render St. Louis with two hitters in the heart of its order playing under less than ideal conditions. Allen Craig, St. Louis first baseman/designated hitter, went 1-for-4 in Game 1, his first action since spraining his foot on September 4 in Cincinnati. Well see how Craig performs throughout the series but its asking a lot of a player to immediately find his timing and be productive batting in the clean up spot. Red Sox RHP John Lackey (Regular season: 10-13, 3.52, 1.157 WHIP in 189.1IP; Playoffs: 2GS, 2-0, 3.00, 1.167 WHIP in 12IP) Only two Cardinals have ever faced Lackey (Carlos Beltran, Matt Holiday) and neither have a hit in 16 combined at-bats. LINEUP CONSIDERATIONS David Ortiz, held to just two hits in the ALCS (granted one, his Game 2 grand slam, was very important) had as many hits in the World Series opener. He could have had one more but he was robbed of a second inning grand slam by Carlos Beltran. Ortiz singled in the fifth and then hit a two-run home run in the seventh. Bostons 3-4-5 hitters (Dustin Pedroia-Ortiz-Mike Napoli) went 5-for-12 in the game with five RBI and four runs scored. If Ortiz is indeed heating up, the Red Sox are in good shape to win this series. GAME TWO PREDICTION The Cardinals play much better, this is if they stop kicking around the baseball, but the Red Sox get to Michael Wacha and prevail, 5-3, to take a 2-0 series lead to the Midwest. TreQuan Smith Saints Jersey . Mired in an offensive slump, Lowry - the NBAs leader in taking charges this season - did what he has learned to do best, standing his ground and drawing a crucial offensive foul on the Cavaliers all-star point guard. Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan. Cameron Meredith Jersey . I kind of got a taste of being able to pick a suit with the draft lottery, I went with the bow tie. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/Customized/. - Ronda Rousey realizes shes finishing up one of the biggest years for any fighter in the young history of mixed martial arts at UFC 168, and the UFCs bantamweight champion intends to go out on top. DeMario Davis Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. DeMario Davis Saints Jersey . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Al Jefferson sat at his locker pondering how the Charlotte Bobcats nearly surrendered a 30-point lead they held late in the third quarter. "Of course we had to make it a game," Jefferson said with a grin. "We couldnt enjoy an easy win, right?" It never seems that easy for the Bobcats. Despite the big lead, Jefferson and Bobcats didnt breathe a sigh of relief until Ramon Sessions knocked down two free throws with 1.6 seconds left to secure a 100-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Jefferson became the first Bobcats player to record a double-double in the first quarter and finished with 22 points, 19 rebounds and a season-high seven assists and the Bobcats defeated the Raptors for the seventh straight time in Charlotte. "The important thing is we came out of it with a win," Jefferson said after the Bobcats withstood a furious Toronto rally that included several 3-pointers. It was Charlottes first game without point guard Kemba Walker, whose streak of 190 straight games played -- the second-longest in franchise history -- was snapped. Walker sprained his ankle in a loss Saturday night to the Miami Heat. But the Bobcats got more than enough from their two reserve point guards as Sessions and the seldom-used Jannero Pargo combined for 40 points on 10 of 17 shooting. Sessions started and had 23 points in 34 minutes and was 10 of 11 from the line. "We knew they were going to make a run sooner or later, especially with how good theyve been playing," Sessions said. "We didnt expect it to be that big of a run." DeMar DeRozan had 25 points and Kyle Lowry had 21 for the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors, who fell to .500 after their fourth straight road loss. The Raptors were down 71-41 with 4:37 left in the third quarter when they started to find some energy. They outscored the Bobcats 28-0 on second-chance points, but it still wasnt enough. Toronto twice had chances to tie the game in the final two minutes, but Lowry missed a free throw and Greivis Vasquez couldnt connect on a long 3-pointer. "To be a championship team or even think about the playoffs, youve got to play back-to-back, you have to play nicked up, youve got to play a little fatigued," Raptors coach Dwwane Casey said.dddddddddddd "Right now, we have a bunch of guys who are giving into fatigue and nicked up. Its a long season, but, again, you tell a lot about who you are in these situations. "This was a gut-check game. In the fourth quarter, we turned it around. But its about what we did in the first three quarters that was disappointing." Despite nearly surrendering a huge lead, Bobcats coach Steve Clifford called it a "big win" for his team with Walker out of the lineup. Jefferson, who came in averaging 27.8 points and 11.5 rebounds for his previous four games, had 14 points and 12 rebounds in the first half as the Bobcats went up 55-36. But the Raptors began double teaming Jefferson in the third quarter with Chuck Hayes the primary defender. "Chuck and I are great friends, but I hate him as a defender," Jefferson said. "Hes one of those guys thats very smart and you cant move him." Things got hairy for the Bobcats when DeRozan stripped Jefferson and went the length of the floor for an uncontested layup to trim the lead to three with 2:33 left. With 26 seconds left, Lowry drove the lane, scored and drew a foul on Jefferson to cut the lead to one. But he missed the free throw that would have tied the game. Sessions hit two free throws to push the lead back to three. Vasquez, who finished with 15 points and nine assists in his best game as a Raptor, got an open look from the right corner on the next possession but missed a 3-pointer from the right corner. Walker is expected to miss about two weeks after spraining his ankle in Saturday nights loss to Miami. He had 29 points against the Raptors on Dec. 18, including a buzzer beater in a 104-102 victory. But Sessions and Pargo provided a great spark. Sessions had nine points in the first quarter and Pargo came off the bench to hit his first three shots, including two 3-pointers, in his first four minutes of play in the second quarter. NOTES: The 36 points in the first half were the fewest allowed by the Bobcats all season -- they held the Raptors to 33 per cent shooting. ... Jefferson posted his third straight game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. .. .Charlotte has won nine of its past 14 against Toronto. .. Toronto attempted 29 3-pointers. They made 10. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '