The Boston Red Sox took a commanding 2-0 lead in the World Series with a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
The Dodgers took a 2-1 lead into the fifth, but the Red Sox got great defense from Andrew Benintendi in the top half of the inning, and then scored three runs in the bottom half to take a 4-2 lead.
After Steve Pearce drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game 2-2, J.D. Martinez blooped this two-run single into right field in what would serve as the game-winning hit:
.@JDMartinez14 is a hitting MACHINE. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/nDc3GxKnkV
— MLB (@MLB) October 25, 2018
Boston starting pitcher David Price was rock-solid, allowing two earned runs over six innings. And the Red Sox bullpen — Joe Kelly, Nathan Eovaldi, and Craig Kimbrel — didn’t allow a baserunner over the final three innings to lock up the Game 2 victory.
Going to Cali with a 2-0 lead. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/ms2SlyXqHD
— MLB (@MLB) October 25, 2018
So, in order to win the World Series, the Dodgers will have to beat a 108-win Red Sox team four out of five times, and the last two games obviously don’t provide much confidence in that happening.
Both FanGraphs and Five Thirty Eight give the Red Sox an 84% chance to win the World Series (FanGraphs specifically says 83.6%; forgive us for rounding up), so that means just a 16% chance for the Dodgers.
It goes without saying that Game 3 is — for all intents and purposes — a must-win game for the Dodgers. While crazier things have happened, beating this Red Sox team four straight times would take quite the performance (and would take very good luck).
Rookie fire-balling sensation Walker Buehler gets the crucial Game 3 start for Los Angeles, while veteran right-hander Rick Porcello takes the mound for Boston. The next three games — if necessary — are in Los Angeles, with Game 3 on Friday at 8:09 PM ET/5:09 PM PT at Dodger Stadium.
