FIRST BASE: Albert Pujols batted .500 in...

FIRST BASE: Albert Pujols batted .500 in the National League championship series and was its most valuable player, on Thursday driving in the tying run against Roger Clemens and scoring the eventual game-winner. Kevin Millar struggled in the American League championship series and can be a defensive liability, often yielding to Doug Mientkiewicz in the late innings. David Ortiz, the MVP of the ALCS, plagued the Yankees as a designated hitter, and will play first base when the Series goes to St. Louis.

Edge: Cardinals.

SECOND BASE: Mark Bellhorn started the playoffs in a horrendous slump, even falling out of his customary second place in the Red Sox’s order, but perked up in the final three games against the Yankees. When he’s right, Bellhorn draws a lot of walks. Tony Womack hit .307 in the regular season, but, for a leadoff hitter, has a low on-base percentage. He finished the NLCS with a back injury that threatened to keep him out of Game 7.

Edge: Cardinals.

THIRD BASE: In his third season in St. Louis, Scott Rolen batted .314 with 34 home runs and 124 runs batted in, all career highs, despite sitting out 16 games in September because of a lower-leg injury. He has won five Gold Gloves. Largely forgotten in a lineup with bigger names and better numbers, Bill Mueller had one RBI in the Red Sox’s first two series, but that was the Game 4 ALCS single off Mariano Rivera that changed the course of the postseason.

Edge: Cardinals.

SHORTSTOP: A midseason trade brought Orlando Cabrera to the Red Sox from Montreal, and he became a large part of the Red Sox’s late charge in the American League East. He batted .379 and had five RBIs in the ALCS, and did not commit an error. Edgar Renteria is a four-time All-Star whose 48 postseason games rank second on the club to Reggie Sanders’ 52. He slumped against the Houston Astros in the NLCS, batting only .167 in seven games.

Edge: Red Sox.

CATCHER: Mike Matheny is a Gold Glove-type catcher but is the rare break in the Cardinal batting order. He struck out 10 times in 33 NLCS at-bats. Switch-hitting Jason Varitek won’t catch knuckleballer Tim Wakefield -- Doug Mirabelli will -- but Varitek remains the heart of the Red Sox’s grinding game. He batted a career-high .296 in the regular season and .321 against the Yankees in the playoffs.

Edge: Red Sox.

LEFT FIELD: Manny Ramirez has his “old Manny” moments in the outfield, where he sometimes seems to be thinking about his next at-bat. And he did not drive in a run in the ALCS, despite hitting .300. But his is one of two bats the Cardinals must avoid, along with Ortiz’s. Sanders is the first major league player to hit at least 20 home runs with six teams. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it hasn’t helped in this postseason; Sanders batted .229 in their first two series.

Edge: Red Sox.

CENTER FIELD: Jim Edmonds had a monster year, perhaps the best of his career, and maintained his high defensive standards. Not only did he have 42 home runs and 111 RBIs, Edmonds walked 101 times. His walk-off home run in Game 6 of the NLCS allowed the Cardinals to play for the World Series the following night. Johnny Damon didn’t do much against the Yankees for six games, then hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the clincher.

Edge: Cardinals.

RIGHT FIELD: In his 16th major league season, Larry Walker will play in his first World Series game. He had 11 home runs in 44 games after being traded by the Colorado Rockies in early August and has four more home runs in the postseason. Trot Nixon hasn’t hit much in the playoffs, but did make a game-saving catch against Hideki Matsui in Game 5. With Ortiz at first base during games in St. Louis, Millar could draw a start in right field. Gabe Kapler starts against left-handers, but the Cardinals have only right-handers.

Edge: Cardinals.

STARTING PITCHING: Woody Williams, the Game 1 starter, and Jeff Suppan pitched well in the first two series, Suppan in a Game 7 NLCS showdown against former mentor Roger Clemens. Matt Morris and Jason Marquis have not been as effective, and there are suspicions that Morris, a former 22-game winner, could be hurt. The Red Sox will pitch Curt Schilling in Game 2, allowing him to pitch twice in the Series and stay out of the National League park, so he won’t have to bat on his injured ankle.

Edge: Even.

BULLPEN: While many focused on Mariano Rivera’s failures in Games 4 and 5 of the ALCS, Boston’s Keith Foulke was pitching like Rivera in his prime. Foulke has not given up a run in seven postseason appearances. Alan Embree and Mike Myers pitch to the left-handers. Mike Timlin gets the bulk of the middle innings. Cardinal closer Jason Isringhausen, inconsistent in the first two rounds, finished Houston in order in the ninth inning Thursday night.

Edge: Red Sox.

DH/BENCH: The Red Sox’s advantage at Fenway Park will be with their designated hitter, Ortiz. An MVP candidate in the regular season, he has driven in 15 runs in 10 postseason games, ending three with winning hits. Dave Roberts, acquired in a midseason trade with the Dodgers, has become a late-game baserunning weapon for the Red Sox. The Cardinals’ DH options probably are Roger Cedeno, John Mabry and Marlon Anderson. Anderson batted .333 as a pinch-hitter.

Edge: Red Sox.

MANAGER: Terry Francona hadn’t managed a postseason game until about three weeks ago, but he kept the Red Sox together when they lost the first three games of the ALCS. Like his predecessor, Francona has a blind spot with Martinez, who pitched a hitter or two too deep into Game 5 against the Yankees. Tony La Russa has managed three previous times in the World Series, all with the Oakland A’s, beating San Francisco in 1989 and losing to arguably inferior teams in 1988, the Dodgers, and 1990, Cincinnati.

Edge: Cardinals.

PREDICTION: RED SOX IN SIX GAMES

-- Tim Brown