Who Will Win The 2018 World Series?
The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, two of the MLB’s most storied franchises, are set to do battle for the ultimate prize in this year’s Fall Classic.
This is the first time the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers will have competed in a World Series.
With that said, these two fanbases are familiar with one another from the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers Rivalry so expect some ‘Beat LA!’ chants to echo throughout Fenway Park in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
In this piece I will be taking a special look at the World Series and how the two teams vying for the World Series title got here.
Let’s begin.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Finished regular-season 92-71
Won NL West
Won NL Pennant
Defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in NLDS
Defeated Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in NLCS
Strengths: Power, Starting Pitching, Closer
Weaknesses: Bullpen, Strikeouts, Catcher, Defense
Analysis:
The Los Angeles Dodgers made it to the World Series last year having cruised through the NL side with a 7-1 mark. That was different this season as they went 7-4 this season, needing a Game 7 win at Miller Park to advance to the World Series.
The Dodgers have the right-handed power in their lineup to offset facing Chris Sale and David Price. The Dodgers went 40-25 vs LHP in 2018 during the regular-season, but one question I have about the team is their ability to slow the Red Sox offense.
I do not think Clayton Kershaw throwing 91 MPH and trying to fool the Red Sox hitters will work vs this lineup. The Dodgers will also be trotting out a rookie pitcher vs the Red Sox at some point in this series and at another point a 38-year-old left-hander.
The Red Sox went only 21-16 vs LHP pitching in 2018, but this team has little problem of hitting off of left-handers.
The key to the series will be limiting the walks to the Red Sox hitters while also limiting the bottom of the order, where Jackie Bradley Jr., the ALCS MVP, did his fair share of damage in just three swings during the ALCS.
Boston Red Sox
Finished 108-54
Won AL East
Won AL Pennant
Defeated the New York Yankees 3-1 in ALDS
Defeated the Houston Astros 4-1 in ALCS
Strengths: Contact Hitting, Power, Bullpen, Defense
Weakness: Starting Pitching, Closer
Analysis:
The Boston Red Sox come into the World Series knowing one thing is for certain: They know how to bounce back from a loss.
Both the New York Yankees and Houston Astros learned this the hard way in the postseason as after their wins, neither team tasted victory and had their seasons ended promptly.
That’s a quality that says a lot about Alex Cora as a manager and the Red Sox as a team. There’s no question that the Red Sox offense will score runs in this series, the question for Boston however is can their starting pitching limit Los Angeles’?
A big reason why Boston is here is because of two strong performances by Nathan Eovaldi, a stellar start by Rick Porcello in Game 4 of the ALDS and David Price’s magical Game 5 gem in the ALCS.
What about Chris Sale? Sale dealt with a stomach ailment that kept him from starting Game 5 last Thursday and he was shaky in his last start in Game 1 of the ALCS.
The fastball velocity is noticeably down and against a hard-hitting lineup like Los Angeles’, could put Boston in a early series hole as Chris Sale is slated to start Game 1 vs Clayton Kershaw.
In a way, it’s two pitchers that at this point in time are not what their teams are used to seeing.
Prediction: Boston Red Sox in 6
I’m going with Boston needing six games to vanquish the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic. When it comes down to it, it’s hard to envision Los Angeles’ pitching staff and bullpen slowing down Boston’s offense when Houston’s couldn’t.
I’ll go out on a limb and say that this series will feature a team coming back from a five-run deficit, a hitter on the Red Sox hitting multiple home runs in a game and a pitcher hitting a home run.
What are your thoughts on the World Series? Leave your comments below!