Los Angeles – The dodgers went ahead 2-0 world Series Took the lead by winning the first two games on home ground. Yankees‘Crime had almost stopped yoshinobu yamamoto In Game 2, which also featured an injury scare shohei ohtani After being caught stealing second base in the seventh inning.
Here are our top four takeaways from the Dodgers’ 4-2 win on Saturday.
1. The Disappearing Act of Aaron Judge
It’s extremely hard to believe that without the MVP version of Judge the Yankees would make it this far to the World Series, let alone win it. For the second consecutive day, the Dodgers’ starting pitcher completely neutralized Judge’s bat. game 1 starter jack flaherty and Game 2 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto combined to strike out Judge five times in six at-bats and not allow him to reach base. Yamamoto looked especially confident facing the player who recorded the highest OPS (1.159) in baseball in the regular season.
Judge is now 1 for 9 with six strikeouts in the Fall Classic. He is 6 for 40 this postseason, with only two home runs and six RBIs, with 19 strikeouts. In the span of a few weeks, he went from being the world’s best hitter to swinging at offspeed pitches as if they were automatically out.
The Yankees are having a hard time publicly admitting that Judge is missing the pitches he typically gets in the postseason. Whether it’s the long layoff before the playoffs begin or the break between the ALCS and the World Series, it seems entirely plausible that the lack of everyday at-bats and games has messed up Judge’s timing. That may be why he ultimately lost against the Guardians in Game 3 of the ALCS with a two-run home run off top closer Emmanuel Clase. If he needs time to warm up, he could have a big week ahead of him on Monday when the series takes place in the Bronx. With a championship at stake, the Yankees can only hope that is the case. — Deesha Thosar
2. Time to Give tommy adman its flowers
Turns out Edman’s MVP performance against the Mets in the Dodgers’ NLCS was no fluke. Los Angeles’ Swiss-army knife has picked up where he left off, going 4 for 8 with two runs and an RBI in the World Series so far. His latest move was a solo shot to left field off Carlos Rodon to get the Dodgers on the board in the second inning.
Edman hadn’t even played this season when Andrew Friedman traded for him this summer. The Dodgers needed an infielder at the time, knowing they did not want to play mookie bets Now onto shortstop, considering that Gavin Lux And Kiké Hernandez is not an everyday player. There was a real risk in making him the only slot-player at the deadline. No one really knew how Edman would play after his offseason wrist surgery, which included a setback in spring training. While his performances were good in August and September, Edman has been very good for the Dodgers in October.
Not only is he showing up at the plate, but the former Gold Glover has shifted seamlessly between shortstop and center field from one game to the next. Although his name doesn’t often come up on a team loaded with superstars, he has been a huge coup for the Dodgers – and he could be a huge factor in helping the entire team win. — Thosar
3. Carlos Rodon gets shaken up
After the southpaw’s turmoil this season, the Yankees Was Knowing that there’s a high chance that Rodon will settle like he did on Saturday. Aaron Boone and the Yankees’ decision-makers are as much to blame for this poor performance as the left-hander. Rodon took the mound for Game 2 after surrendering seven earned runs in his previous three playoff starts (14.1 innings) this October. He took the lead against the Royals in the ALDS, then improved in his ALCS debut, but struggled again against Cleveland. On Saturday, he surrendered home runs to Edman, Freddy Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez by the third inning and was pulled in the fourth.
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The up-and-down nature of Rodon’s postseason led to trouble when New York lost Game 1 to Los Angeles. More than anything, the Yankees needed a reliable starter who would give them the best chance to return to the Bronx with a series split. This made right-hander Clark Schmidt the better option for Game 2, not only because he has been more consistent on the road than Rodon, who pitches better at home, but also because the Dodgers have found lefties very good. Kind of hit. Why take that chance when it’s the Yankees Was To bring it here?
Aside from the team’s mistake, Rodon’s inability to perform on the game’s biggest stage is a major blow to the Yankees. Nights like Saturday are why he signed a six-year, $162 million deal ahead of the 2023 season. He stayed healthy all year, pitching innings and making quality starts in half of his 32 games, which was invaluable when ace Gerrit Cole missed the first two-plus months of the season with an elbow injury. His instability since then has made him a questionable choice to start in the first place on Saturday, and now the Yankees are in a potentially insurmountable 0-2 hole. — Thosar
4. Potentially costly defeat in victory
The impressive 2–0 lead in the series did not come without a potentially significant cost, as the Dodgers’ roster, already riddled with injuries, may have taken its heaviest hit yet.
Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani injured his left shoulder when he was caught stealing in the seventh inning. Roberts was encouraged by the extent of the initial strength and speed tests and said he was “hopeful he’ll be in the lineup,” but would not know more information until scans were completed.
“Obviously when one of your players goes down it’s a concern,” Roberts said. “But after the range of motion, strength testing, I feel much better about it.”
The severity of the injury was not known to Dodgers players after the game. Ohtani left the stadium immediately after the game and was unavailable to provide an update. However, based on preliminary testing, Roberts believes Ohtani will be available to play when the series moves to New York.
“I’m expecting him to be there,” Roberts said.
Ohtani was caught stealing only four times while recording 59 stolen bases during the regular season, but has been caught stealing in both of his attempts this postseason. – Rowan Kavner
Deesha Thosar MLB reporter for Fox Sports. He previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Disha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow him on Twitter @DeeshaThosar,
Rowan Kavner MLB writer for Fox Sports. He previously covered the LA Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. A graduate of LSU, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter @rowankevner,
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