The Los Angeles Dodgers are down 2-0 in the World Series, but will enjoy home-field advantage for Game 3 against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.
The series moves to Chavez Ravine for the next three games, with the Dodgers needing to win at least two home games in order to stay alive and send the series back to Fenway Park.
Roberts Defends Postseason Platoons
The Dodgers will hope to wake up their bats, which have been largely dormant for the first two games of the series. They’ll get a boost over the next two nights, as the Red Sox will start right-handed pitchers, a move that will allow Dave Roberts to play powerful lefty bats like Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, and Max Muncy.
Roberts has received some criticism for playing matchups so heavily in the series, but he has defended his approach, as it was the method that got the Dodgers to the World Series in the first place.
“This is something that we’ve done a lot in September and throughout the postseason,” Roberts told reporters. “But we’re going to shuffle it up for Game 3, but it’s not necessarily because of performance. It’s kind of who the starting pitcher for those guys is. But these are the guys that got us here, and we’re going to ride them out.”
On Friday, Boston will rely on Rick Porcello (17-7, 4.28 ERA) to shut down the Los Angeles lineup. The Dodgers are also sending a righty to the mound, as rookie starter Walker Buehler (8-5, 2.62 ERA) will look to keep his team in the series. A loss in Game 3 would be devastating for Los Angeles, as no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a World Series.
Injury Could Keep Martinez Out of Lineup
While everything has seemingly gone right for the Red Sox on the field so far, there is at least one injury concern for the team. J.D. Martinez was expected to play the outfield for the games taking place in Los Angeles – as there is no designated hitter in the National League stadium – but a sore ankle has made it unclear if he’ll be able to play the field.
“We’ll see,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said when speaking to Martinez’s availability. “Actually, he felt better today walking around. He got treatment on the way here. He’ll get treatment [in the morning]. In the afternoon, we’ll make a decision.”
Putting Martinez on the bench would deal a blow to the Boston lineup, but there could be benefits, too. It would improve the team’s outfield defense, while also keeping Martinez available for a high-leverage pinch hitting appearance later in the game.
While the Dodgers may be in trouble when it comes to winning the series as a whole, bookmakers like Los Angeles’ chances of winning Game 3. Paddy Power lists the Dodgers as a -150 favorite for Friday night, with the Red Sox fetching +125 odds to win the game.