In a World Series in Which games havebeen DECIDED by the slightest – and strangest – nuances, USA TODAY Sports’ Paul White looks at pressure points in play for today’s Game 6, and maybe a Game 7:

Wacha-Wac … well, you know the rest

Michael Wacha gets his second look at the Boston Red Sox and, in a reversal of his recent work, that’s more important than opponents getting a second look at him.

Wacha has two starts against two teams since coming to the major leagues, and the results have been so dominant, it’s clear Those teams – the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers – have not found an answer.

He shut out Pittsburgh on two hits over seven innings in September, then allowed one hit to the Pirates a month later in the National League Division Series. He did not allow a run in either of his two NL Championship Series starts against the Dodgers but was more efficient in the second, allo wing three baserunners in seven innings. He was more overpriced pitch-efficient, 4.13 pitches per batter in the second start after 4:31 in the first, though going from a 1-0 game to a 9-0 rout could be a factor in willingness to not be as exacting.

But efficiency is a key component of how Wacha handles the Red Sox in Game 6. His four walks in Game 2 matched a season high, his 114 pitches topped his previous high – and he pitched six innings.

The Red Sox got him to throw 4.75 pitches per batter, a high number even by Their unmatched standards. Boston first baseman Mike Napoli suffered the majors this season with 4:59 pitches per plate appearance.

So how does Wacha react? Adam Wainwright’s attack-first bravado cost him in Game 5, especially against David Ortiz.

Wacha’s 57% strikes in Game 2 is his lowest percentage in 13 major league starts. During the regular season, his stuff was good enough to get batters to swing at more than 30% of his pitches outside the strike zone. The Red Sox chased barely half that.

His plan of attack will be Crucial.

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Finding more offense

Neither team has been pleased with its offensive output. Both managers shuffled lineups in Game 5th

Only once has a team scored three runs in an inning without an error – Jonny Gomes’ decisive three-run homer in the sixth inning of Game 4.

RED SOX: Victorino expected to start

The Red Sox got an unexpected boost When The bottom of Their orders produced the game-winning rally in Game 5, especially remarkable considering how paltry the production has been down there. The bottom two non-pitcher spots in the batting orders (7-8 in non-DH games, 8-9 with the DH) have gone 5-for-33 for St.. Louis, 4-for-36 for Boston.

CARDINALS: Craig expected to DH

It’s no better at the top of the order, where Cardinals 1 -2 batters are 8-for-38 and the Red Sox 5-for-38.

Getting the DH back for the rest of the series could help. As for hope for better things, the Cardinals have a bit more to grasp. St. Louis leadoff man Matt Carpenter had multiple hits in two of the last three games and third baseman David Freese had two hits from the No.. 7 slot in Game 5, his first hit since a Game 1 single.

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Can Koji keep it up

With the games as close as they’ve been, the bullpens have’ve become Crucial. Nearly half the total runs in the series have been scored in the seventh inning or later, yet Boston closer Koji Uehara does not waver. He has 10 Consecutive scoreless appearances and 11 of 12 overall this postseason. Of the 156 pitches he has thrown in October, 130 (83.3%) havebeen strikes.

Uehara pitched in all three games in St.. Louis, the first time in more than a year the 38-year-old has pitched three Consecutive days.

Boston manager John Farrell has been depending on the combination of Uehara and setup but Craig Breslow and Junichi Tazawa. But Breslow doing now? Been new and effective Consecutive three outings against the Cardinals and Farrell has reduced his use of Tazawa, who pitched in the first four games of the series, but to one batter in three of them.

Clearly, Farrell was looking for starter Jon Lester to take Game 5 all the way to Uehara.

Tuesday’s off day could help, especially Uehara, who’s at a career high for appearances. He has saved seven of Boston’s 10 postseason wins, and if he’s needed in Game 6, it would be the first time he has pitched four times in five days since he did it as a setup man for the Texas Rangers It September 2012.

GALLERY: RELIVE GAME 5

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