Fansided

5 ways the Dodgers can make this a series again

By Cody Rivera

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 25: Grounds crew prepare the field for World Series game three betweeen the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 25, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 25: Grounds crew prepare the field for World Series game three betweeen the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 25, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 9: Christian Vazquez #7 meets with Ryan Brasier #70 of the Boston Red Sox delivers during the seventh inning of game four of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees on October 9, 2018 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 9: Christian Vazquez #7 meets with Ryan Brasier #70 of the Boston Red Sox delivers during the seventh inning of game four of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees on October 9, 2018 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

3. Expose the Red Sox bullpen

For someone that has only watched the Red Sox in the postseason, they might look like they have a pretty solid bullpen. But for those that have watched the Red Sox all year long, we know better.

Make no mistake about it, this Boston bullpen isn’t stacked with shutdown relief pitchers or anything of that nature. It is simply a group of average relievers that have amazingly started to click at the perfect time.

This bullpen was pretty unreliable for much of the regular season, and they were an utter disaster in August and September. You won’t meet a single Red Sox fan anywhere that will say, “Oh, I can’t wait to see Ryan Brasier back next season!” or “Oh, I can’t wait to see Matt Barnes back next season!”

The same can be said for other relievers like Joe Kelly, Heath Hembree, and Brandon Workman too. This isn’t a dominant group. It’s a group of guys that chose the best possible time to get hot.

The Boston bullpen has been outstanding this postseason. They are a big reason why reason why the Red Sox are two wins away from a championship. But in mid-September, nobody could’ve guessed that this bullpen would’ve suddenly become so clutch in the playoffs.

If the Dodgers want to make this a series again, they need to expose this Red Sox bullpen for what it really is. They need to make this group of relief pitchers look like they did in August and September. If they can do that, they won’t have any trouble climbing back into this series.

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