4 keys for the Red Sox to beat the Dodgers in the World Series

The Red Sox are back in the World Series for the first time since 2013, and for the fourth time since 2004. They’re undefeated in their last three trips to the Fall Classic and this time will be facing the Dodgers, returning to the World Series for the second year in a row after losing to the Astros in seven games in 2017.

Boston won 108 games and has looked great this postseason, so here are some keys to beating the Dodgers that will help them keep their winning streak going.

Boston already has a theoretical plan in place for this one, but there’s no guarantee they’ll use it. J.D. Martinez is hitting .313 with two home runs and nine RBI this postseason, but now that it’s the World Series there are up to three games at Dodger Stadium where Martinez won’t be able to be the designated hitter thanks to National League rules.

Alex Cora has said that Martinez will play every game in the series, but who will he be replacing in the field? One option is to put him in right, where he’s played 213 innings this season, and start Mookie Betts at second base — where he used to play and has been taking reps during workouts in recent days to prep for this possibility.

Martinez is not the most reliable defensive asset, with -3 defensive runs saved in right field compared to Betts’ +20 and Jackie Bradley, Jr.’s +2 in the same spot. Even Brock Holt had one defensive run saved in right this year (in 52 innings). You can’t compare anyone to what Betts’ does in the outfield, but not having him manning right is a big risk and might outweigh the positives of Martinez’s bat. That might is a big one, though, so they should at least try.

Obviously hoping their bats are hot against any and all Dodgers pitchers is important, but with the likes of Hyun-Jin Ryu, Clayton Kershaw, and Walker Buehler starting for LA the Red Sox have to hope they can chase the starters and also do some damage against the arms they face after that. At the very least do the latter if they can’t consistently do the former.

The Dodgers bullpen put up a 1.45 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP and 12. 9 K/9 in the NLCS against the Brewers. They had 40 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 31 innings in that series. Many of Milwaukee’s hot bats were downright anemic at the plate against Dodgers relievers. Throughout the postseason, they have a 1.30 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 13 walks in 41⅔ innings.

Red Sox bats can put fear in the heart of any pitcher when they’re on, and keeping things that way against the Dodgers is going to go a long way to getting LA back on their heels early. Just because LA’s bullpen numbers are unexpected doesn’t mean they’re not legit. The Red Sox pushed the Astros’ pitching staff to a 5.52 ERA in the ALCS (compared to 4.18 in the postseason and 3.11 during the year) so if any team is set up for this, it’s Boston.

From Andrew Benintendi’s outfield heroics, to Mookie Betts being a defensive marvel, to Steve Pearce constantly doing splits at first base to hide throwing errors from Eduardo Nuñez or Rafael Devers at third, the Red Sox defense has saved the rest of the team’s butts more than few times. It’s been a mix of pure talent and luck though, and to win it all it’s going to have to stay that way.

Mookie Betts can make eighteen awe-inspiring plays a game but the rest of the team failing to do the same leaves them in the lurch. Especially when they’re facing a team that has looked defensively shaky so far this postseason but can look just as good in the field as Boston. The Red Sox might not get the same opportunities to capitalize on defensive mistakes that the Brewers did in the NLCS, but if they can keep their defensive gaps minimal and keep some luck on their side then they’re in great shape against LA.

Some of Boston’s best laid plans with starting pitching didn’t pan out in the ALCS, with Chris Sale’s velocity down in Game 1 in a 7-2 loss where he only got through four innings, allowing two runs off of one hit but four walks. He had a -0.023 win probability added in that start and was hospitalized with a stomach illness the next day. That’s not what you want from your ace.

But Sale is healthy for the World Series — healthy enough to joke about the illness stemming from a belly button ring infection at least — and David Price finally pitched in a postseason win for the first time in too many tries, while Craig Kimbrel apparently isn’t tipping his pitches anymore. Even the bullpen looks to have permanently stabilized (famous last words). Fewer potential heart attacks for Red Sox fans all around there.

That those things stay the same isn’t guaranteed against a Dodgers team who couldn’t quite keep their bats going throughout the NLCS, but certainly have the ability to go on a streak at any given point. Sox pitchers keeping those bats quiet from start to finish would be huge.