BOSTON -- The St. Louis Cardinals aren't going to lead this World Series in facial hair.

And they're not going to lead this World Series in romantic ballpark history.

But the Cardinals are going to win this World Series. And here are the Top Four Reasons There Will Be a Parade in St. Louis:

Adam Wainwright has a 1.57 ERA in three starts this postseason. Elsa/Getty Images

1. This isn't the Tigers' bullpen

In the ALCS, 11 of the 19 runs the Red Sox scored came with a member of the Tigers' bullpen in the game. If you think that was a coincidence, I have a lovely package of Calvin Schiraldi memorabilia to sell you.

The Red Sox went into that series with a clear strategy of grinding at-bats, forcing the Tigers' dominating starters out of the game and scoring off the shaky underbelly of the Detroit bullpen. But that's an approach that doesn't figure to work against the Cardinals because there is no shaky sector of a Cardinals bullpen that has a 1.80 postseason ERA, a .177 opponent average and an 0.83 WHIP.

"Realistically, they don't have an underbelly," said one scout. "When they get to the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, they can match up against any lineup as well as any team in baseball."

2. Beware the Cardinals' rotation

After surviving a series against that fearsome Detroit rotation, almost any collection of starting pitchers would look good to the Red Sox. But the Cardinals' rotation is better than advertised, particularly with Adam Wainwright (1.57 career postseason ERA) and Michael Wacha (nine hits allowed to the past 103 hitters he's faced) lined up to pitch four of the first six games.

In fact, one AL exec who picked the Cardinals summed it up this way: "Too much Wainwright and Wacha."

But even Game 3 starter Joe Kelly pumps fastballs that average 94.9 mph. So there might not be a team in either league with more power arms than this one.

"To me, the way you beat Boston is big arms and big stuff," said an NL scout. "And that's what the Cardinals have, from the first inning to the ninth."

3. Molina time

October matchups don't get much more fun than this: The Red Sox had the best stolen-base percentage (84.6) in American League history. The Cardinals allowed the fewest stolen bases (39) in either league. So can Yadier Molina control the Boston running game the way he did the running games of the Pirates and Dodgers (who stole two bases in 11 games)?