World Series game 2, TB 6 — LA 4
You were expecting a sweep?
For starters, this was a game I was prepared to accept as a loss. With Blake Snell starting for Tampa Bay and a bullpen game for the Dodgers, I knew the odds were against us. Of course, had Dustin May not coughed up four runs, we might be up 2–0. And while the Rays obviously feel good about winning, there is plenty they should be worried about:
They just had a good batting game and now have to take a day off. No team likes that. When the Dodgers made their big comeback against Atlanta in game two of the NLDS, they got to continue immediately the next day, with an early start and batting first. Tampa Bay has to wait nearly forty-eight hours before batting again.
They don’t get inexperienced rookies next game, either; they get Walker Buehler. Yes, they’re pitching Charlie Morton, and he’s been terrific in the post-season so far, but he’s far more likely to get hit by L.A. than Buehler by Tampa Bay. Saving him to game three was Dave Roberts’ only choice, but it has worked a charm.
Also, several Dodger relievers not only got into the game but did well. Dylan Floro had a terrific comeback after last night. Victor Gonzalez walked Randy Arozarena but then induced a double play that Kiké Hernandez uncharacteristically booted. Jake McGee did well for not having pitched for a while. Alex Wood came through strong, too.
Despite Snell’s excellent game, he still gave up a two-run homer to Chris Taylor, and the Dodgers put a ton of pressure on the Ray’s vaunted pen. And now that they’ve seen their top relievers, they have some idea what to expect. On the other hand, the Dodgers’ top three — Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, and Kenley Jansen — haven’t lifted a finger yet.
Game four will be a pen day for Tampa Bay and, the day after facing Buehler, they’ll get Julio Uriás. That’s two starters without a pulse. After losing game two, the Dodgers couldn’t ask for more. Not to mention game five has Clayton Kershaw waiting.
On top of all that, the Dodgers know that a couple of the runs they gave up were on the home plate ump’s awful strike zone. He definitely gave the Rays their sixth run, giving Ji-man Choi a fourth strike that became a single and a run. Had he properly called strike three — and holy god, it was an egregious miss — then the Dodgers only had to get a single run in the end. A much easier task than two.
A lot of people will hate on Dustin May, but he’s going to win World Series games for us in the future — a lot of them. He and Tony Gonsolin are getting taken to school in this post-season, but they couldn’t be on a better team to learn from that. They may even prove to be heroes before this series is over.
No one expected a Dodgers sweep, not even after yesterday’s convincing win. But even with Tampa Bay’s win today, it doesn’t feel like the series is even. Brendan Lowe is going to be facing much tougher pitchers from here on out; he’s not going to turn into Corey Seager. The Rays just are not going to be able to count on scoring six, but the Dodgers can count on scoring at least four. I expect Mookie Betts to lead the way against Morton after today’s o-fer.
Of course, any of the Dodgers’ starters in the next three games could falter. Their bats could remain quiet. The Rays could keep kitting. It just doesn’t seem that’s what this team is this year. The 2020 Dodgers seem like a team that will not let anyone or anything get between them and the title.
