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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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BOSTON – OCTOBER 24: Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts walks back from a mound visit. The Boston Red Sox host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Two of the World Series at Fenway Park in Boston on Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON – OCTOBER 24: Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts walks back from a mound visit. The Boston Red Sox host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Two of the World Series at Fenway Park in Boston on Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

1. Dave Roberts needs to let his players play

Managers might want to make it look they are trying their best to do their job. But a lot of times, baseball teams have the most success when their managers just let them go out and play baseball, not trying to overthink every little aspect of the game.

I made a whole big case about Dave Roberts “over-managing” after Game 1 the other day. He’s been doing it throughout this entire postseason, but in Game 1, his over-management absolutely burned this Dodgers team.

With Los Angeles trailing 5-4 in the seventh inning — still very much in the game, obviously — with two outs and a runner on second base, Roberts brought in the hard-throwing right-hander Pedro Baez from the bullpen. Baez was throwing fire immediately out of the gate, striking out Mitch Moreland before understandably handing J.D. Martinez an intentional walk, and then striking out Xander Bogaerts as well.

There was no chance anybody was going to hit Baez with the way he was throwing, but Roberts still elected to bring in lefty Alex Wood to pitch to lefty hitter Rafael Devers. With a lefty on the mound, the Red Sox then decided to pinch-hit righty hitter Eduardo Nunez and he took Wood deep over the Green Monster for a three-run homer to deliver the final blow of the game.

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Had Roberts kept Baez in the game, he would’ve easily retired Devers, the inning would’ve been over, and the Dodgers would’ve still only been down by one with two more innings to go. But Roberts overthought the situation, made an awful decision, and his team paid the price for it.

If Los Angeles is going to make a comeback in this series, Roberts can’t make any more of those decisions. He has to take a step back and let his players do their thing.

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