The Dodgers aren’t in a good spot right now, but they can get back into this World Series if they can make some adjustments at Dodger Stadium.
The 2018 World Series hasn’t exactly gotten off to a great start for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
To be fair, they definitely had their work cut out for them. They had to venture to the east coast for Games 1 and 2 against the Boston Red Sox, a team that won 108 games during the regular and was 7-2 in postseason play heading into the World Series. The Dodgers had to try and find a way to get things rolling at Fenway Park, one of the toughest venues in baseball to play as a visiting — because of both the peculiar dimensions and the toughness of the Boston crowd.
The Dodgers put up a good fight in both games, but were outdone both times by the dominant Red Sox hitters, as well as some clutch pitching performances. Now they will head back home to Los Angeles trailing 2-0 in the series, and will desperately try to get something going against the Red Sox to save their season.
But Boston is currently 5-0 on the road in this postseason, so the Dodgers will fix things rather quickly if they don’t want to watch the Red Sox celebrate on the field at Dodger Stadium.
Here are five things that need to happen if the Dodgers hope to make this a series again…
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 23: Clayton Kershaw #22 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts as he is taken out of the game during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox in Game One of the 2018 World Series at Fenway Park on October 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
5. Pitching has to be better
The Dodgers pitching hasn’t exactly been bad, but it hasn’t been great either, and you need great pitching when playing this vicious Red Sox lineup.
Clayton Kershaw got the ball in Game 1, and while he wasn’t terrible, he still allowed five runs and got knocked out of the game in the fifth inning. Even great pitching might not be enough to stop these Boston hitters, but anything less than that isn’t even going to give you a chance.
Hyun-Jin Ryu kept the Red Sox fairly quiet, for the most part, in Game 2 — at least until they broke through in the fifth and J.D. Martinez put them in front 4-2 with a two-RBI single. That might be the most difficult part of facing this team: if you’re pitching well, you can maybe keep them quiet for a few innings. But eventually, they are going to find a way to break through.
The Dodgers have no other alternative. They need lights out, shutdown, Cy Young-type pitching from here on out. 24-year-old rookie Walker Buehler will get a chance to give it a try in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium.