Now that the Red Sox hold a 2-0 lead and the World Series is moving to St. Louis and National League rules, many are wondering to what degree Boston will be handicapped by playing without a designated hitter. Will the Cardinals enjoy a considerable advantage in the next three games, one significant enough to allow them back into the Series?

The Cardinals can happily take the likes of Marlon Anderson and So Taguchi out of the lineup, and their pitchers are relatively solid hitters. The Red Sox, meanwhile, are faced with figuring out what to do with their October hero, DH David Ortiz. Red Sox fans might be forgiven their concern: Not having DH Don Baylor in the lineup for every game of the 1986 World Series factored prominently in their loss to the Mets.

For a couple of reasons, this won’t be as much of a problem as it might seem. First, Ortiz will be playing first base, not warming the bench. It helps the Red Sox that the Cardinals don’t have a lefty starting pitcher, because there’s no way that Red Sox manager Terry Francona wants Ortiz’s .671 slugging average against righties riding the pine. Instead, Kevin Millar will be forced to the bench.

But will letting David Ortiz play the field will invite disaster? In only 31 starts at first base this year, he committed four errors, a rate that over a full season would have led all first basemen. He’ll never be mistaken for a natural fielder, and considering that the Sox already have to worry about any ball hit in Manny Ramirez’s direction, it’s possible that games played in St. Louis could be even sloppier than Games 1 and 2, in which the Sox committed a mind-numbing eight errors. Look for Francona to gamble by inserting Doug Mientkiewicz in place of Ortiz with a small lead in the late innings.

Francona has four years of managing in the National League under his belt, and while his stint in Philadelphia was checkered by some disappointing seasons, the in-game tactics will be familiar to him. Add in the in-season experience – limited though it may be – of interleague play, and it isn’t like the Red Sox will be flummoxed by the mysteries of the senior circuit.

Thanks to the way they constructed their postseason roster, the Red Sox are well-equipped for working with the pitcher’s slot in the lineup. Francona and GM Theo Epstein chose to carry only 10 pitchers – smartly dropping snake-bitten reliever Ramiro Mendoza for Kevin Youkilis’s bat – which means that the Red Sox have multiple options for pinch-hitting duties and double-switches.

Also, because several players on the roster can play multiple positions, the Red Sox have considerable defensive flexibility. Millar can play first base or an outfield corner, Bill Mueller can flip over to second base from third, and second baseman Mark Bellhorn has played almost everywhere in his career. Dave Roberts and Gabe Kapler can handle all three outfield positions.

The downside of that bench? The Sox aren’t well-prepared for an extra-inning game at this stage of the Series. Beyond letting closer Keith Foulke go for a couple of innings, extra frames might require a long outing from Bronson Arroyo. None of the relievers in Boston’s bullpen have much hitting experience, which means Francona should worry about using up his bench early in a tight game. In that regard, the Sox could wind up like the 1995 Rockies, who were forced to let a reliever bat with the bases loaded despite being down to their last out in the LDS. They lost.

Happily, Francona has been aggressive using a pair of outstanding defensive replacements: Pokey Reese at second and Mientkiewicz at first. Add in that he can bring in either on a double-switch, and the Sox have another way to prevent having to pull a reliever early to avoid having him hit.

In contrast, the Cardinals bench might provide manager Tony La Russa with plenty of flexibility, though nobody really hits all that well. The best hitter on their bench, John Mabry, never got the call in Boston. And hitters like Taguchi, Anderson, and Roger Cedeno don’t present much of a threat at the plate.

Anderson and utility infielder Hector Luna can play almost anywhere, and either one might be pressed into the everyday lineup if Tony Womack’s injuries affect his performance. In a lineup already weighted down by Mike Matheny’s weak bat, the Cardinals’ advantage of playing by their league’s rules doesn’t add up to much.

Finally, although the National League is supposed to thrill its supporters with pitchers bunting, the Cardinals ranked 12th in the league in successful sacrifices. They should be better at bunting than the Red Sox, but with on-base sieves like Womack and Matheny in front of the pitcher, the Cardinals probably won’t have much opportunity to enjoy even this small tactical advantage.

This article was provided by Baseball Prospectus.The Sun will run exclusive content from Baseball Prospectus throughout the 2004 season. For more state-of-the-art baseball content, visit www.baseballprospectus.com.