2018 World Series: The Dodgers vS The Red Sox

[dgalehouse]

I think diminished Chris Sale loses the opener to Kershaw. The Sox get Ryu out early in game 2 and beat the Dodgers pen. The Sox do the same against Hill in game 3. They tattoo Buehler as the Sox demolish fastball pitchers without impeccable command. They lose game 5 against Keyshawn again. They take the title home vs Ryu in Boston

 

You are finally starting to come around. Keep it up.

[moonslav59]

I think diminished Chris Sale loses the opener to Kershaw. The Sox get Ryu out early in game 2 and beat the Dodgers pen. The Sox do the same against Hill in game 3. They tattoo Buehler as the Sox demolish fastball pitchers without impeccable command. They lose game 5 against Keyshawn again. They take the title home vs Ryu in Boston

 

Reading this makes me think we may sweep.

[Larry Cook]

I have a feeling this series is going to have a lot of twists and turns.

 

I am picking the Sox in 6.

[RichGarces2015]

brock holt will have his name imprinted on this series.

[moonslav59]

I'm not worried about Kershaw or anybody's ace. We seem to rise to meet the challenges.

 

I'm hoping it's a warm night for Sale's start.

 

I like our 4 starters- all with extra rest.

 

I'm thinking Sox in 5, maybe 6.

[iortiz]

I think diminished Chris Sale loses the opener to Kershaw. The Sox get Ryu out early in game 2 and beat the Dodgers pen. The Sox do the same against Hill in game 3. They tattoo Buehler as the Sox demolish fastball pitchers without impeccable command. They lose game 5 against Keyshawn again. They take the title home vs Ryu in Boston

I expect a 100% Sale. Kershaw is the guy who is diminished. He is still good but ain’t elite anymore. His stuff is not dominant as it used to be. Also he will face the best offense in baseball. BOS is way better than MIL and ATL. Not even close. Also He will pitch in an AL park.

 

IMO we win the 2 at home. 2 at LAD, and not sure whether we lose one. Series won’t comeback to Boston. Want to be humble but we are that good this year.

Edited October 22, 2018 by iortiz

[mediasrojas]

I base my predictions on wishful thinking. It's just as valid as any other measure. Sox in 5 because there's another event I'd like to attend the scheduled night of game 6, and I have to work on the scheduled night of game 7. Take care of business for me, Red Sox!

[cp176]

I expect a 100% Sale. Kershaw is the guy who is diminished. He is still good but ain’t elite anymore. His stuff is not dominant as it used to be. Also he will face the best offense in baseball. BOS is way better than MIL and ATL. Not even close. Also He will pitch in an AL park.

 

IMO we win the 2 at home. 2 at LAD, and not sure whether we lose one. Series won’t comeback to Boston. Want to be humble but we are that good this year.

 

I like the way you are thinking about this.

[iortiz]

I like the way you are thinking about this.

 

Also Kershaw has been overused.

 

We’ve got this cp

[OH FOY]

Anybody think the Colder weather is going to effect the Dodgers. I do.

[Slasher9]

I think diminished Chris Sale loses the opener to Kershaw. The Sox get Ryu out early in game 2 and beat the Dodgers pen. The Sox do the same against Hill in game 3. They tattoo Buehler as the Sox demolish fastball pitchers without impeccable command. They lose game 5 against Keyshawn again. They take the title home vs Ryu in Boston

 

not 1 of your 254 predictions has come true this entire season.

not one. just stop. please.

[BillyWilliams]

I think the sox take it in 5, 6 the most.

 

Anybody see the crazy checkerboard uniforms the Dodgers had when they last met the sox in the WS in 1916?

[TylerD]

I'm late to the party but I am going with 6 games, possibly 7. As many are saying the Dodgers are no pushovers. They were a bit of a sleeper team as their record was the 3rd or 4th worst coming into the playoffs. But this is a well rounded team. Top 5 in pretty much every category. Not to mention they were a game away from winning the World Series last year. With that said, Boston is on an incredible role right now and I think we win this series. But it won't be easy by any means.

[OH FOY]

Dodgers not a big running team, about same as Houston. Stolen Bases not a big concern. 2nd most HRS in the Majors. Dodgers hit more HRS at home then on the Road. Big Park, they have Power. Hit better on the Road for Average though, pretty significant too. Edited October 22, 2018 by OH FOY!

[notin]

I'm not worried about Kershaw or anybody's ace. We seem to rise to meet the challenges.

 

I'm hoping it's a warm night for Sale's start.

 

I like our 4 starters- all with extra rest.

 

I'm thinking Sox in 5, maybe 6.

 

Kershaw is defintely hit or miss at this point in the season. He's had good games and bad ones in the NLCS, and his three World Series starts included a terrific 7IP, 1ER outing, a complete clunker (4.2IP, 6ER), and a short rest 4 IP outing in relief where he was pretty good...

[Emp9]

Nothing wrong with Smoltz. Or Buck. Or Cora. Or any Sox player. And the umps are mostly okay. But that will not stop the venom. It will be oozing like clearasil on prom night.

 

Lol

 

Eww

[moonslav59]

Kershaw is defintely hit or miss at this point in the season. He's had good games and bad ones in the NLCS, and his three World Series starts included a terrific 7IP, 1ER outing, a complete clunker (4.2IP, 6ER), and a short rest 4 IP outing in relief where he was pretty good...

 

I wasn't worried about Verlander either.

[moonslav59]

I'm more worried about the Dodger offense than their pitching.

 

They have a lot of balance despite losing some key hitters to injuries.

 

2018 OPS

 

.973 Muncy

.924 Turner

.905 Machado (2 teams)

.843 Pederson

.830 Freese (2 teams)

.820 Puig

.818 Kemp

.815 Grandal

.814 Bellinger

.806 Hernandez

.775 Taylor

.696 Dozier

 

10 guys over .805 is pretty scary, but we'll still beat these guys.

[notin]

And Turner is the guy who always seems up with big hits. He's become the hitter I fear the most on that team...

[TylerD]

It also depends what Clayton Kershaw shows up against us. His ERA for the year was fantastic but he is all over the place. He can go 8 shutout innings, or giving up 5 runs inside of 3 or 4 innings. Much like he did in the playoffs. Game 1 he only went 3 innings giving up 5 runs, but rebounded his next start with 7 innings and only 1 run given up. I guess same can be said about our pitchers. Regardless I have always given Kershaw a lot of respect. He can shut down the top of the order like nobody's business. Then again.... so can Verlander and we got to him in game 5 so who knows.

[jung]

Frankly I have a hard time fearing either the Dodger hitting or the Dodger pitching.

 

Their pen is better than our pen. No question about that. But Kershaw is not the Kershaw of old and Sale is not mid-season form Sale. A wash IMO. I am somewhat concerned about Price in the cold up here. One reason I wanted Price pitching under the roof in Houston. But I am just going to have an open mind that Price, who says he found something that night in the pen, has actually found something by taking the edge off his arm before his Start day. Do they try to duplicate that in some fashion or not before the Price start here? Their pen is a good deal better and their Rotation gets a slight edge from me until I get some idea what is actually going on with Price.

 

I do not "fear" their hitting. I respect it. But I don't fear it. Have we not already proven we can pitch to wall bangers? How many wall bangers do we have to shut down before we prove the age old adage that the battery has the advantage and if wall banging is all you do, pitching can shut you down? Couple that with 4 games in Fenway Park which is NOT a HR hitter's park but is a Doubles park and I am not sure there is much to fear in the Dodger's hitting. If you keep them in the yard where are they going?

 

Their defense is very good but not great IMO. Not sure if Grandal will get any starts at Catcher. He has been a panic behind the plate. If they are equally adapt at all these positions then they are not optimal at any of them (see Brock Holt). Turner is great at 3rd. Machado has that howitzer at Short. Other than that, I don't really see a whole lot to get excited about.

 

As for playing in LA, Betts gets CF, Beni gets LF and JD gets RF unless something strange happens in Game 1 or 2. That is subject to change based on what actually happens in the actual games. I don't buy the idea that JBJ has turned into some monster in the post season that sends Betts to 2nd or sends Beni or JD to the bench in LA. Beni is the guy that will have to justify that decision. No "Hero" swings Beni. No "I am going to be a hero and pull the ball over the RF wall swings Beni. Just keep doing what you do best...go oppo, take walks. If Buehler is held out by Roberts till going back to LA, that might put JD on the bench there for the start of a game. Buehler is the only Starter they have that can get to the hole in JD's swing.

 

No matter how we slice it, games in Dodger Stadium are not going to be walk overs for this Sox team. But this is not an easy pick and Sox in 5 is just as valid as Sox in 6 and Dodgers in 7 is almost as valid for that matter. Mine is Sox in 6.

[sk7326]

It's baseball in October. There are no walkovers. Still, there are more reasons to believe in the Red Sox than the Dodgers.

 

- Strikeouts. The Red Sox don't strike out much at all. The Dodgers strike out quite a bit. The Red Sox strike out a lot of people. The Red Sox are just better at putting the ball in play. The Red Sox infield defense is shaky, but the Dodgers might not put it in play enough for it to be decisive.

 

- Offense. The Red Sox put up almost 6 runs a game against a good Astros team, without their two headline stars being at the center of it. With Devers' emergence, the lineup has only a couple of dead spots. There is a ton of versatility. The Dodgers offense is more evocative of an early 2000s super beer-league team: Lots of walks, lots of strikeouts, lots of homeruns. The Red Sox consistency is helpful here.

 

ON THE OTHER HAND

 

- Walks. The Dodgers are good at not walking hitters. The Red Sox not so much. The Sox averaged 6 walk/hbp a game in the ALCS. The number shrinks to a "still-not good" 4.8 walks/hbp per game once you remove that 13 walk/hbp atrocity that was the ALCS Game 1. Alas, the Dodgers are very good at taking pitches. The Dodgers best path to winning is via the 3-run homer, and the Red Sox free passes is an open sore on that front.

 

- Pitching. The Dodgers rotation is a little bit better - with Kershaw being able to just give more innings. Both bullpens are fine, although Jansen is much more reliable than this version of Kimbrel. The Red Sox can hit anybody - but this is a firm test.

 

If the Red Sox can avoid the self inflicted drama and keep the ball in the ballpark, they should have enough to get by. Boston in 6.

[Kimmi]

I think diminished Chris Sale loses the opener to Kershaw. The Sox get Ryu out early in game 2 and beat the Dodgers pen. The Sox do the same against Hill in game 3. They tattoo Buehler as the Sox demolish fastball pitchers without impeccable command. They lose game 5 against Keyshawn again. They take the title home vs Ryu in Boston

 

LOL You pretty much sewed up our victory in Game 1. Thanks!

[Kimmi]

I expect a 100% Sale. Kershaw is the guy who is diminished. He is still good but ain’t elite anymore. His stuff is not dominant as it used to be. Also he will face the best offense in baseball. BOS is way better than MIL and ATL. Not even close. Also He will pitch in an AL park.

 

IMO we win the 2 at home. 2 at LAD, and not sure whether we lose one. Series won’t comeback to Boston. Want to be humble but we are that good this year.

 

In the words of Sale himself, "If I'm on the mound, I'm 100%".

[Kimmi]

Anybody think the Colder weather is going to effect the Dodgers. I do.

 

Very likely.

 

Also, the oddities of the Fenway outfield could be a factor to the Dodgers outfielders.

[Emp9]

I'm not worried about Kershaw or anybody's ace. We seem to rise to meet the challenges.

 

I'm hoping it's a warm night for Sale's start.

 

I like our 4 starters- all with extra rest.

 

I'm thinking Sox in 5, maybe 6.

 

We also have made it a habit of rising to other team’s BPs no matter how good they seem to be. Starters , relief, somebody’s getting tagged.

[harmony]

I've held a grudge against the Los Angeles Dodgers since the Blue topped my Minnesota Twins in the seventh game of the 1965 World Series that spanned my 10th birthday.

 

I've probably seen more MLB games at Dodger Stadium than at any other venue but I could never embrace the Dodgers despite living within walking distance* for six years.

 

Nevertheless I find myself pulling for the West Coast team in this year's World Series. Sorry, Sox fans.

 

I hope we see an exciting series.

 

* actually I walked the four miles to and from my home to Dodger Stadium for one afternoon game.

[TylerD]

I've held a grudge against the Los Angeles Dodgers since the Blue topped my Minnesota Twins in the seventh game of the 1965 World Series that spanned my 10th birthday.

 

I've probably seen more MLB games at Dodger Stadium than at any other venue but I could never embrace the Dodgers despite living within walking distance* for six years.

 

Nevertheless I find myself pulling for the West Coast team in this year's World Series. Sorry, Sox fans.

 

I hope we see an exciting series.

 

* actually I walked the four miles to and from my home to Dodger Stadium for one afternoon game.

 

Sorry to hear You're going to be so disappointed then.

[jung]

Possible wild card entry.....Wright to the WS roster. Says he feels great...pitched a simulated game. Knuckler could be a monkey wrench for the Dodgers.

[Jason33]

I completely agree with you! We’ve had some stiff competition and taken care of business so far. I don’t like making predictions before a series, but the Dodgers have a really good pitching staff and lineup. That said so do we! I hope the time off doesn’t throw our bats off. It can only help an overused pitching staff. We shall see what happens starting tomorrow. Go Sox!