Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
It’s finally here. Game 1 of the 2017 World Series pits the two best teams in baseball against one another in what should be an incredible series. The Astros (101-61, 7-4 in postseason) bring their powerful offense and strong starting staff to Los Angeles to square off with the Dodgers (104-58, 7-1 in postseason).
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Astros
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Dodgers
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5:09 p.m. FOX
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Los Angeles
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CF
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Springer |
CF
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Taylor | |
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3B
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Bregman |
3B
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Turner | |
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2B
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Altuve |
1B
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Bellinger | |
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SS
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Correa |
RF
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Puig | |
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1B
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Gurriel |
LF
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Hernandez | |
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C
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McCann |
SS
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Seager | |
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LF
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Gonzalez | 2B | Forsythe | |
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RF
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Reddick |
C
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Barnes | |
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P
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Keuchel (L)
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P
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Kershaw (L)
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Like most World Series matchups, this one features two great starting pitchers in Dallas Keuchel and Clayton Kershaw. Keuchel is coming off a strong showing in the ALCS against the Yankees, which included a 7-inning, 10-strikeout performance in Game 1 in Houston. He got touched up a bit in his second appearance (4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 R), but he’s as quality a left-handed starter remaining in the postseason. He was the best pitcher in the regular season at inducing ground balls (66.8 percent), so expect a lot of sinkers (57.9 percent) in the 88-90 MPH range and three off-speed pitches, led by a high-70s slider (18.8 percent) and changeup (13.0 percent). He, like many pitchers these days, also throws a cutter (10.2 percent).
Kershaw draws his first World Series start, and he’s coming off a strong start in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Cubs — 6 IP, 1 R, 5 K. And while his slider isn’t as sharp as it has been in years past, there’s reason to believe it could make a comeback in this series.
The lineup gets a big boost with Corey Seager back on the roster for the Fall Classic. Charlie Culberson was great in his stead and he might even get a start or two when the series shifts to Houston. Seeing Seager in the No. 6 spot is awfully weird. I’m guessing his back (and to a lesser extent his elbow) is playing into this. It’s a little surprising, honestly.
Corey Seager is expected to bat second against RHP Justin Verlander in Game 2, Dave Roberts said.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) October 24, 2017
Just easing him back in, it seems.
Yasiel Puig‘s incredible postseason has him in the hitting cleanup, against a lefty no less. Game 5 hero Enrique Hernandez hits ahead of Seager, which is something he had only done when he hit leadoff. The 7-8 spots are strong with Austin Barnes and Logan Forsythe, the latter of whom mashes lefties. On the other side, there’s a lot of thump there, especially in the top five of the Astros’ lineup. Their 6-8 is normally solid, but all three of Brian McCann, Marwin Gonzalez and Josh Reddick have struggled in October.
The World Series rosters were officially announced today, and there weren’t any changes from the ALCS for the Astros, but there was a change for the Dodgers. Other than Seager coming back, Brandon McCarthy was added to the roster while Curtis Granderson and Kyle Farmer were removed. This makes a lot of sense. The thought process must be McCarthy could help out in a Game 4 situation if Alex Wood is struggling or can’t go more than 4-5 innings (which is fine in the postseason). Having McCarthy around to eat a few innings is a much better use of a roster spot than having a third catcher who has merely been an inexperienced pinch-hitter. Dave Roberts chimed in.
Dave Roberts on McCarthy in bullpen: "He gives us the advantage of getting lefties and righties out."
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) October 24, 2017
Works for me. I also thought Luis Avilan might get a look, but since the Astros don’t have a ton of left-handed hitters, taking an extra long man makes sense. Granderson being left off the roster is tough because he’s such a good person, but his plate appearances this month (and during most of his Dodger tenure) haven’t been competitive. There was no justifying him being on the roster ahead of guys like Joc Pederson and an extra pitcher. Other than that, no other changes.
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#WorldSeries hair @YasielPuig 👅 pic.twitter.com/TkpxytyfWX
— Jesus Quiñonez (@JesusQuinonezTV) October 24, 2017
Yasiel Puig is loose. And he has blue hair, because of course he does.
👇🏽a message for my @dodgers fans. I'm going to do the best I can on the field for you guys #ThisTeam @mlb #WorldSeries #Dodgers 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/RFtZXGOUMA
— Yasiel Puig (@YasielPuig) October 24, 2017
Seriously, how can you not love him?
“He’s as rested and in as good a state of mind as he’s been in any postseason “
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) October 24, 2017
Good deal, but don’t forget about that awesome bullpen, Davey.
A good look at the Los Angeles #Dodgers 2017 #WorldSeries Press Pin, designed by the great @RYDesignLA #MLB pic.twitter.com/kS8Qnu3uSl
— Chris Creamer | SportsLogos.Net (@sportslogosnet) October 24, 2017
This is pretty cool.
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This is the World Series. It still seems surreal. This is the best/worst — you know, just your typical feeling as a baseball fan.
