Red Sox Secure Game One, Game Two Expectations

The Boston Red Sox in 2018 have been amazing to watch. As a Yankees fan, it’s difficult not to admire their mentality. The Red Sox already have one of the most talented teams in the league, yet they scrap and claw for every win as if they are the underdog. Rookie manager Alex Cora has done a great job encouraging the team not to take anything for granted, despite his club owning the best regular season record in the 2018 regular season. It became evident that Boston was destined for a World Series run, and now seems as evident that the team will win the World Series.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a well put together team that has avoided winning a World Series for too long. The front office has stacked a surplus of talent over the past several years. They haven’t been cheap and their effort can not be questioned, as they are flirting with a $200+ million payroll. Unfortunately, the Dodgers are facing a team in the Red Sox that has already went that extra mile with a $230 million payroll.

Game one saw the Red Sox defeating the Dodgers 8-4 in a see-saw battle up until the Red Sox busted the game open with a three-run home run by Eduardo Nunez in the 7th inning. Prior to that, the Red Sox showcased hustle and grit that has gotten them to this point. In fact, the 5th inning may have been the true turning point of the game.

The inning included Xander Bogaerts narrowly beating out an inning-ending double play, which allowed Mookie Betts to score. Rafael Devers followed up the effort with an RBI single that gave the Red Sox a 5-3 lead, and that was all they needed to win the World Series opener.

Looking Ahead

On Wednesday, the Red Sox will welcome the Dodgers to Fenway Park for the second game of the Fall Classic. The Dodgers will put their faith in Hyun-Jin Ryu, while the Red Sox hope for the best with David Price.

Both starters have struggled at times in the month of October. Ryu has surrendered 7 runs across 14.1 innings pitched for the post-season, while Price has tallied the same amount of earned runs in two less innings.

Though I expect the Red Sox to win the series, the Dodgers will head into Game Two with the edge. Even after a solid performance in Price’s last outing, it’s easy to imagine the Dodgers getting to him early on.

Ryu had a poor outing in his previous start against the Milwaukee Brewers after surrendering 5 runs in just three innings, but the Dodgers have won four of the six games he has started.

Game Two Prediction: Dodgers defeat Red Sox 7-4 after an early David Price exit.

Featured Image: Fox Sports