World Series report

Not a great start from Wainwright

BOSTON - Adam Wainwright had one of his toughest games of a stellar season, and his St. Louis teammates gave him little help.

Two errors by shortstop Pete Kozma helped Boston score five runs in the first two innings and the Red Sox beat the Cardinals 8-1 in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night.

Wainwright, a 19-game winner this season, also hurt his own cause in the second when he raised his hands as if signaling that he would catch a popup in front of the mound. But he let it drop between him and catcher Yadier Molina for a single that started a two-run inning.

He threw 60 pitches through two innings then settled down and left trailing 5-0 and having thrown 95 pitches through five.

Wainwright allowed just one hit in his last three innings but, by then, it was too late.

“He did get better as he went,” Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny said.

He allowed three earned runs in his shortest stint in his last 10 games. He was 6-1 in his previous eight starts with the only loss coming in Game 3 of the National League championship series when he gave up two runs in seven innings of a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Wacha Wacha

Michael Wacha walked into a restaurant in St. Louis and found himself on the menu.

So he tried the “Wacha Wacha” milkshake.

“It was pretty good,” the Cardinals rookie right-hander said before the World Series opener Wednesday night.

It’s been a quick move from the shadows to the spotlight for Wacha, called up for the final time this season after rosters expanded in September.

Now he’s the flavor of the month in October, scheduled to start Game 2 against the Boston Red Sox tonight.

Wacha was 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA in three regular-season stints with the Cardinals. In the postseason, he’s 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA, allowing just 1 earned run in 21 innings. In the clinching sixth game of the NL championship series, he allowed two hits in seven innings of a 9-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Now he’s recognized more in public.

“It was pretty much the same until after this last start in the NLCS,” Wacha said. “But, yeah, I went to go eat at just a little restaurant and I had a milkshake named after me, and that was pretty weird. So I had to try that out.”

But his life hasn’t changed much, he said, “just a lot more texts and phone calls and stuff.”

There could be plenty more of those after tonight’s game.

“This World Series start will definitely be the No. 1, the highest, biggest, most important game that I’ve ever pitched in,” Wacha said.

Afterward, he’ll head back to St. Louis for Game 3 on Saturday night. And, perhaps, for his namesake beverage.

“It was like a vanilla,” he said. “It had some Cracker Jacks in it, added a little baseball flair to it. And then there’s some chocolate chips, I guess, in there, too.

I can’t really remember everything.”