After trading haymakers through the first two games at Fenway Park, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox now play the rubber match of their weekend series. Both offenses had a night where they shined, but the series finale should see different results.
Particularly with Hyun-Jin Ryu taking the mound for his first start of the second half. Ryu leads the Majors with a 1.73 ERA and his 0.91 WHIP is second only to Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander (0.81).
What’s more, opponents’ .582 on-base plus slugging percentage against Ryu is also second-best in the Majors. Sunday is Ryu’s first time pitching since throwing one inning as the National League starter in the 2019 MLB All-Star Game.
He last took the mound for the Dodgers on July 4, when he fired six scoreless innings and allowed just three hits to earn a win against the San Diego Padres. Overall this season, Ryu is 10-2, with both losses coming on the road where he sports a 2.98 ERA in eight starts.
Price last pitched exactly one week ago in an outing that saw him limit the Detroit Tigers to one run and four hits in five innings. He’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in 12 of 16 starts this season.
Price faced the Dodgers three times (two starts) during the 2018 World Series, twice earning a win. He started opposite Ryu in Game 2, and allowed two runs over six innings of a 4-2 victory for the Red Sox.
Price then retired two of three batters faced in a relief appearance during Game 3, which the Dodgers memorably won in the 18th inning. The left-hander returned to the mound two days later, throwing seven innings in a decisive Game 5 victory.
The 33-year-old faces a lineup that includes familiar names from those prior matchups, though like in the Fall Classic, Corey Seager is not among them. He was expected to start all three games this weekend but is receiving an unexpected day off.
Dodgers lineup:
SS: Chris Taylor
DH: Justin Turner
1B: David Freese
RF: Cody Bellinger
CF: A.J. Pollock
3B: Max Muncy
2B: Kiké Hernandez
LF: Alex Verdugo
C: Russell Martin
P: Hyun-Jin Ryu
Red Sox lineup:
RF: Mookie Betts
3B: Rafael Devers
SS: Xander Bogaerts
DH: J.D. Martinez
C: Christian Vazquez
LF: Andrew Benintendi
1B: Michael Chavis
CF: Jackie Bradley Jr.
2B: Eduardo Nuñez
