Six keys to the World Series

Rust or rest: The Rockies haven't played in nine days heading into Game 1. The Red Sox have had two days off – perfect to catch their breath and get their bullpen in order – and are on a roll. Which team will stay the hottest and grab the early edge? And then there's this stat: In nine of the last 10 World Series, the winner of Game 1 went on to win the championship.

The Beckett factor: It's common knowledge that Boston ace Josh Beckett is fantastic in the postseason. But the Rockies could be his playoff kryptonite. Matt Holliday is 6 for 14 and Garrett Atkins is 6 for 10 in their careers against Beckett, who played for the Florida Marlins until 2006. Players on the Rockies' roster have a combined .358 average with three homers in 95 at-bats. Holliday, Garrett Atkins and Todd Helton have all hit home runs against Beckett.

Fenway home field advantage: Boston is 5-1 at home in the postseason, and it took 11 innings for the Indians to win that one on a night when Curt Schilling didn't have his best stuff. The Rockies have won 10 in the row on the road, but were just 39-42 on the road in the regular season. And the Boston fans can smell blood when their Red Sox have their opponents on the ropes, testing their nerves. On the other side, playing in Colorado is different than any other park with the thinner air that could cause some aches and pains to be worse for the Red Sox.

Rusty Game 4 starters: With Tim Wakefield injured and off the roster, Jon Lester will start Game 4 for the Red Sox. He hasn't started in a month. The Rockies will counter with Aaron Cook, who hasn't started in TWO months. That could be an interesting night at Coors Field if one or both doesn't have their best stuff. But who knows? Lester looked good in his last relief outing against Cleveland, and Cook shut down the Red Sox in an interleague start in June.

Big Papi on the bench: The Red Sox's lineup won't be nearly as fearful with David Ortiz or Kevin Youkilis on the bench. One will have to be out of the lineup at Coors Field, when the designated hitter won't be used.

Rookies coming up big: Troy Tulowitzki, Dustin Pedroia, Ubaldo Jimenez, Hideki Okajima, Daisuke Matsuzaka. None of them were in the big leagues last season, and all will play huge roles in this series.

Click here for a look inside the matchups, and who has the edge at each position.

Prediction: Red Sox in six.

Schedule (all times EDT, all games on Fox):

• Game 1: Colorado (Francis 17-9) at Boston (Beckett 20-7), Wednesday, 8:35 p.m.
• Game 2: Colorado (Jimenez 4-4) at Boston (Schilling 9-8), Thursday, 8:29 p.m.
• Game 3: Boston (Matsuzaka 15-12) at Colorado (Fogg 10-9), Saturday, 8:35 p.m.
• Game 4: Boston (Lester 4-0) at Colorado (Cook 8-7), Sunday, 8:29 p.m.
• Game 5: Boston at Colorado, Monday, 8:40 p.m., if necessary
• Game 6: Colorado at Boston, Wednesday, 8:29 p.m., if necessary
• Game 7: Colorado at Boston, Thursday, 8:29 p.m., if necessary