Like the Yankees' win yesterday, the Dodgers' win tonight came down to someone who had taken the entire season to do what he'd made an entire career out of. And as likely as Anthony Rizzo's return to form was last night, Walker Buehler suddenly pitching 4 shutout innings after nearly costing the Dodgers the NLDS last week...was a little less likely. But just as welcome when it happened.
The Dodgers' game 3 victory was the culmination of everything this team had been trying to make work for the last few weeks, all at once. Kiké Hernandez in October, Tommy Edman as a contact machine, Muncy as an underrated power bat, the bullpen, Buehler, and especially Shohei Ohtani leading off. Like Judge, Ohtani has gotten a bit colder this October, but his 3-run homer was a great confirmation of the Dodgers' dominance. Buehler went 4 strong with 6 Ks, with none of the shakiness we'd seen this season. It was a full team effort, and one that felt satisfying to watch.
The Mets, meanwhile, got their ego knocked down a bit, with Luis Severino getting roughed up, the lineup shrugging, and Garrett and Megill didn't exactly keep the fort strong. Even if Francisco Lindor is doing frigging cartwheels in the infield, nothing's gonna get done if people like Francisco Alvarez get a golden sombrero at the plate. This team felt so shockingly volatile in Game 2, and now they're de-energized again. They do have Jose Quintana up for Game 4, which should be a bit more reliable, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who's coming off a commanding start against the Padres, will be on the mound. It won't be a gimme by any means.
Part of me thinks there's a chance the Mets tie it up, but tonight is letting me know this may not be as evenly matched as I previously thought.
Also, tomorrow the Yanks hit Cleveland. Schmidt v. Boyd. We'll see how that goes for them as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment