Dodgers vs. Red Sox: This N.L. opponent will be no pushover
BOSTON – To say the Red Sox have dominated National League foes in their three World Series appearances this century would be an understatement.
Boston rolled past the Cardinals in 2004, the Rockies in 2007 and St. Louis again in 2013 by smashing their way to a combined 12-2 record. Only the rematch against the Cardinals gave the Red Sox a real push, as Boston captured its eighth championship in franchise history by winning a Game 6 at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox have proven to be the deeper team in each series, particularly thanks to their everyday lineup. David Ortiz gave Boston a powerful extra bat as the designated hitter, a glaring advantage when compared with who N.L. foes employed in that same position in those series. Reggie Sanders, Marlon Anderson, Ryan Spilborghs and Allen Craig were no match for one of the premier postseason hitters in Red Sox history.
The Dodgers figure to narrow the gap somewhat to J.D. Martinez. No Los Angeles hitter approached the 1.031 OPS compiled by Boston’s slugger this season, but the likes of Joc Pederson, Kike Hernandez, Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp each popped at least 21 home runs. Manager Dave Roberts had no shortage of viable options while selecting Kemp to be his designated hitter well ahead of Tuesday night’s first pitch in Game 1.
“If there’s something we see on film or on video or get in information from the scouts, we’ll add it up on Tuesday and we’ll be ready,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on Sunday. “I think we have plenty of information just like the previous series.”
Boston hasn’t faced Los Angeles since 2016, and most of the regulars for the six-time N.L. West champions have changed. Pederson, Hernandez, third baseman Justin Turner and catcher Yasmani Grandal each appeared in the final game of that series at Dodger Stadium, but budding superstar Cody Bellinger spent most of that season at Double-A Tulsa. Infielder Max Muncy was scuffling through 51 games with just two home runs for Oakland, a long way from the teamhigh 35 round-trippers he belted for the Dodgers this season.
“We’re a little bit spoiled in our expectations every year with the Dodgers,” left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw said, “which is a great thing.”
Kemp was an All-Star this season, returning to the sport’s showcase game in July after a six-year absence. The outfielder was runner-up for the N.L. Most Valuable Player award in 2011, clubbing 39 home runs and stealing 40 bases while posting a career-high .986 OPS. A brief exile to San Diego and Atlanta from 2015-17 interrupted a run with Los Angeles that began with his 2006 debut.
The Dodgers pitching staff is no different. Kershaw has been a mainstay since his debut a decade ago, but announced Game 2 starter Hyun-Jin Ryu was recovering from surgeries on his left elbow and left shoulder and announced Game 3 starter Walker Buehler missed almost all of 2016 due to Tommy John surgery. Rich Hill was pitching in Triple-A Pawtucket as recently as 2015 and signed a one-year deal with Oakland in 2016 to reestablish himself as a credible big-leaguer.
Former Tampa Bay executive Andrew Friedman has helped transform the Dodgers into a two-headed monster, one that can spend lavishly thanks to strong financial backing and also develop handfuls of players through the farm system. Los Angeles has more cash at its disposal than St. Louis and certainly is held in more esteem Colorado thanks to its 23 N.L. pennants. The Dodgers extended Houston to seven games in last year’s World Series and certainly plan to give the Red Sox all they can handle over the next nine days, if necessary.
“Their ownership group and their front office, they do everything possible to get better not only on the field but off the field,” Cora said. “Everybody knows about their analytics team and all the money they spend in that area. They’re prepared. They will be prepared. It’s going to be a challenge for us.”
(The Providence Journal/TNS)