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LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers, in desperate fashion as the World Series resumes their rough form, do not need to look far to feel comfortable with a 2-0 deficit. They can get it from their coach, Dave Roberts, whose famous stolen base sparked the Boston Red Sox team in 2004, which became the first – and still the only – baseball team to come out of a hole 3-0 to win the seventh inning. series of games. They can get it from Walker Buehler, their third-game supporter, who helped win both of them when the Dodgers needed it the most.
In the first game of October, in the decisive game of the Western National League, Buehler gave six goals to six wins at Colorado Rockies to seal the division title of the franchise for the sixth time in a row.
L.A.'s beginner's training was not done in matches 1 and 2 at Fenway. Can Dave Roberts find the right mix for the future?
After recording 108 wins, Boston was dominant in the playoffs. Winning the title in L.A. would put his season at an elite level. But how elite?
From the Wild Cards round to the World Series, we'll be covering the 2018 playoffs.
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In the seventh game of the National League championship series, Buehler forced the Milwaukee Brewers to pass in 4⅔ innings to help the Dodgers qualify for the World Series for a second straight year.
"Whenever you find yourself in such a situation – the more you can get there and live it yourself, I think, only helps you," said Buehler, who will oppose Rick Porcello of the Red Sox at Dodger Stadium on Friday, with the first scheduled launch at 8:09 pm ET. "It's a bit different from a seventh match tomorrow, but at the same time, there's a bit of a back-to-wall scenario."
It's not just the discouraging scenario – with a defeat, the Dodgers will be 3-0 behind, forcing them to win four straight wins – it's their crushing opponent.
The 2018 Red Sox are among the most impressive teams in the history of baseball. They finished the regular season with 108 wins and a plus-229 differential, then beat the New York Yankees, who have 100 wins, and the reigning champion, the Houston Astros, in the first two rounds of the playoffs .
Their range is deep and loaded with a rare combination of power, discipline and speed. Their rotation includes two left-handers decorated at the top, placing the Dodgers at their greatest vulnerability. And their paddock looks fierce, Joe Kelly frequently beating at three digits, Craig Kimbrel looking right again and starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi helping out in a setting role.
To win this series and win their first championship in 30 years, the Dodgers must win four out of five against the Red Sox.
The Red Sox have lost four times in five games only once a season.
"It's going to be hard" Cody Bellinger said. "But it was going to be difficult anyway."
Roberts is a little aware of the current dynamics of the Red Sox. After his 14-year-old Red Sox rallied to beat the Yankees four straight in the AHL playoffs, they managed to make their way through the St. Louis Cardinals with a World Series sweep. .
"It does not matter who we play, where we play," Roberts recalls. "We were all synchronized."
But his Red Sox could have been on another level, Roberts suggested. Production was increased and reduced, while the current Red Sox mainly benefited from one-off strikes, mainly with two outs.
The Dodgers can be confident knowing that they had their chance at Fenway Park. They forced Chris Sale to spend 86 shots in the first four innings of the first game, but they only finished 1 in 7 with runners in goal position. In the second game, five of the nine batters reached the goal the second time in a row against David Price, but they finished the game in a 0-for-16 rut.
If the Dodgers had been able to limit the mistakes, and maybe Max Muncy would have had some more chances, this series could be quite different.
But all that matters is what lies ahead.
Roberts will draw on his experience to preach the importance of staying in the present.
"You can not win four games in one night," he said. "So just focus on a game-by-game mentality, I know it's easier said than done, but it's as simple as you can tell, and that's what it's all about. It's the best way to go about it, and I know it sounds good in our clubhouse. "
From the first launch of each series to the last of Game 7, you can follow the full post-season MLB on ESPN Radio. Listening »
The Dodgers hope to benefit from the energy of their fans and the hot climate of their city. They will also deploy their best range. Porcello makes a right handed shot, which means that left-handed hitter Joc Pederson will take advantage and that left-handed hitter Bellinger and Muncy will hit somewhere in the middle of the game.
And the Red Sox will be weakened. They will probably sacrifice part of their defense in offensive field in seated position Jackie Bradley Jr. Or they could be without a hard hitter JD Martinez, who will go from the designated hitter to the outfield, unless he's still bothered by an ankle injury that he suffered during the first match.
"It will be treated tomorrow morning," said Alex Cora, the coach of Red Sox, Martinez Thursday. "In the afternoon we will make a decision."
The Dodgers have the odd habit of playing best when they really need it this season. They started 16-26, but they started again. They went 3-9 in mid-August, then won eight of the next nine to keep their hopes of participating in the playoffs. They have won their last four regular season games, including the 163 game, to win the division and then the NLCS match 7 on the road.
"I would not say that we intentionally do that," said Buehler. "But I would say that there's a level of comfort in the fact that we've done it a lot of times this season, of course, and we've bounced back and we've come to this point. not think anyone wants to be there, but I think teams that might be in such a situation, we probably know how to manage in the higher echelon. "
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