A couple of crafty vets took the hill on a beautiful Friday evening at Fenway, as 40-year-old Adam Wainwright (5-4, 2.84 ERA) took the hill against 30-year-old Michael Wacha (4-1, 2.33 ERA). The Cardinals entered the game at 37-28 with a two-game lead in the NL Central, while the Red Sox entered in fourth place in the AL East with a 34-30 record, 13 ½ games behind the Yankees.
After a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the first, with two strikeouts from Wacha, the Red Sox struck first in the bottom of the inning.