Benintendi gets better of Kershaw
BOSTON — Boston manager Alex Cora didn’t hesitate to use his left-handed hitters against Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday night, and Andrew Benintendi delivered.
The left fielder had four hits in Game 1 of the World Series and scored three times in Boston’s 8-4 victory.
Benintendi had one four-hit game in the regular season but had not topped two in a postseason game.
The Dodgers’ entire lineup was right-handed against Boston left-hander Chris Sale, but Cora let lefties Benintendi, Rafael Devers and Jackie Bradley Jr. face Kershaw.
“For the most part, we executed what we were trying to do,” Benintendi said.
Benintendi was 3-for-3 against Kershaw.
“Up and down the lineup, there’s not an easy out. We’re going to grind out at-bats,” Benintendi said. Next up: After Kershaw failed to slow the Red Sox in Game 1, another Dodgers left-hander, Hyun-Jin Ryu, will take the ball Wednesday for Game 2 at Fenway Park. David Price will start for Boston.
Ryu had a 1.15 ERA in nine home starts during the regular season, but it increased to 3.58 on the road. He also has had some issues away from Dodger Stadium in this postseason.
He pitched seven shutout innings in Los Angeles against Atlanta in Game 1 of the NL Division Series. Ryu had mixed results in his two NL Championship Series starts in Milwaukee. He pitched fine in Game 2 but got hit hard in Game 6, yielding seven hits and five earned runs in the Dodgers’ 7-2 loss.
“Obviously, it’s a stadium that I’ve pitched in the most, therefore I feel pretty comfortable pitching in Dodger Stadium,” Ryu said through an interpreter. “And having that run of success definitely builds more confidence. I guess that’s the reason why.” Notable: Dodgers relievers, who entered the World Series with a 4-1 record, 1.30 ERA and .180 opponents’ batting average in the postseason, were not sharp against the Red Sox.
Los Angeles’ bullpen — the Dodgers used four relievers — allowed three runs, four hits and two walks in four innings.
Additionally, Ryan Madson allowed the two runners he inherited from Kershaw to score in the fifth.
“You’re going to have to go to the ’pen and play matchups, and that’s kind of how I saw it, we saw it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But they got the big hit when they needed it.”
Boston designated hitter J.D. Martinez, who led the majors with 130 RBIs, gave the crowd a scare when his foot slipped on second base as he rounded the bag in the third. He fell hard but got up and scrambled back to the base.
The only other time the Dodgers and Red Sox met in the World Series was 1916, when Babe Ruth helped pitch Boston to the championship. Those games were at Braves Field, the bigger home park of the city’s National League franchise.