The script was largely the same in Game 2 of the World Series, as the Boston Red Sox took an early lead, squandered it but pulled back out ahead, with their damage coming on two outs at a remarkable rate. A 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers gave the Red Sox a 2-0 series lead.
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Xander Bogaerts’ double with one out in the second inning was the first hit for either side, and was one Hyun-Jin Ryu nearly managed to strand. However, the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead on Ian Kinsler’s two-out RBI single.
Like Clayton Kershaw before him, Ryu failed to make it through five innings. He did manage to record two outs in the fifth, but then allowed consecutive singles and walked Andrew Benintendi to load the bases.
Ryan Madson, who remarked his appearance in Game 1 came without ample time to warm up, had more time before taking over Ryu, but it didn’t amount to success.
He walked a run in and compounded it by then giving up a two-run single to J.D. Martinez. Up to that point it gave Boston 36 of 68 postseason runs that were scored with two outs. For Madson, it meant all five inherited runners through the first two games of the World Series scored.
The Dodgers again sending out the all-righty lineup from Game 1 initially proved futile against David Price, who was coming off his first career postseason win.
He didn’t labor nearly as much as Chris Sale the night prior, only needing 43 pitches to get through three no-hit innings, compared to 72 for Sale who had also allowed two runs through that same length.
The Dodgers’ first hit was David Freese’s sinking line drive that dropped in front of Mookie Betts’ diving attempt for a leadoff single in the fourth. Manny Machado followed with a base hit to center and Chris Taylor worked a walk to put Price in a bases-loaded jam.
Matt Kemp’s sacrifice fly tied the game and with two outs, Yasiel Puig delivered a go-ahead RBI flare single into center field. While it gave the Dodgers a lead, it was difficult to not fathom what could have been.
Prior to Puig’s single, Kiké Hernandez struck out swinging and Austin Barnes followed suit after the hit. Although Price wobbled, he retired seven batters in a row to get through six innings with just the two runs allowed.
Joe Kelly, Nathan Eovaldi and Craig Kimbrel backed Price by combining for three hitless innings. The Dodgers finished the game on an 0-for-16 skid after Puig’s RBI single in the fourth inning.
With the loss, Los Angeles is facing a 2-0 series deficit for the first time since the 2013 National League Championship Series, which they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in six games.
Boston is 9-0 when scoring first in postseason games this year.
