World Series 4: Red Sox 4, Cardinals 2

Red Sox   - 000 013 000 - 4  6  2
Cardinals - 001 000 100 - 2  6  0

The Red Sox have tied the World Series at two games apiece. The World Series will return to Fenway Park.

Clay Buchholz (4-3-1-3-2, 66) gave the Red Sox four solid innings and Felix Doubront was sterling for 2.2 innings and 32 pitches. John Lackey (!) provided the bridge to Koji Uehara with a scoreless eighth inning.

Jonny Gomes belted a three-run home run with two outs in the sixth to snap a 1-1 tie.

David Ortiz went 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. He was seen exhorting his teammates in the dugout right before that sixth-inning rally.

In the sixth, the Red Sox had two outs and nothing going on against Lynn (5.2-3-3-3-5, 89). But Dustin Pedroia singled to center and David Ortiz walked on four pitches. Seth Maness came in from the pen and Gomes tagged a 2-2 sinker into the Boston bullpen in left-center.

After reliving Doubront with two outs in the seventh (a possible early hook by John Farrell), Craig Breslow melted down again, allowing an inherited runner to score on a single and walking a batter. Junichi Tazawa saved the lead when he retired Matt Holliday with runners at first and second.

Lackey worked around a one-out error and Koji Uehara, not quite as sharp as usual, allowed a one-out single. But he got Matt Carpenter on a pop to second and then picked off pinch-runner Kolten Wong at first base with Carlos Beltran at the plate to end the game.

Update: Shane Victorino was scratched from the original lineup because of lower back stiffness. Daniel Nava switches from left field to right field and bats second, while Jonny Gomes plays left and bats fifth.
Clay Buchholz / Lance Lynn

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF Nava, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, 1B
Nava, LF Gomes, LF
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Ross, C
Buchholz, P

John Farrell used his bullpen for five high-pressure innings last night, so the Red Sox need Buchholz to go deep into Game 4. But considering Buchholz's health, that may not be possible. However, in a pregame interview, Farrell said every reliever is available, and so is John Lackey. Last night, Felix Doubront threw 25 pitches, Junichi Tazawa threw 24, and Brandon Workman threw 30.

In three postseason starts this month, Buchholz has gone 6.0, 5.2, and 5.0 innings. In those 16.2 innings, he's allowed 19 hits, five walks, and 10 runs. ... Lynn has also failed to pitch past the sixth inning in his four career postseason starts.

ESPN's David Schoenfield has some good insights into both managers' possibly limited choices out of the pen tonight. He points out:

Aside from that, Farrell has to get Koji Uehara in the game. He's now let one lead slip away in the seventh inning and started the ninth inning of a tie game without his best reliever on the mound. ... The point: Having a guy who had one of the most dominant relief seasons ever isn't a big weapon if you don't use him in the most critical situations. If the Red Sox are going to win this game I think they may need to get six out from Uehara, even if that means using him in the seventh inning to get out of a jam.