MLB News With The World Series

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Wednesday night at Fenway Park to take a 2-0 lead in the World Series.

The Sox scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to come from behind and the Dodgers were never heard from again.

The series resumes on Friday night in Los Angeles, and it won’t last long if the Dodgers don’t get more than a few things figured out.

Timely hitting would help. The National League’s highest-scoring team scored six runs in the first two games and was held to three hits in Wednesday night’s loss.

Clutch pitching would help. When the Dodgers went to the bullpen in the fifth, manager Dave Roberts brought in Ryan Madson, who wasn’t too great in the first game. He was worse in this one.

Madson came in with the bases loaded, walked Steve Pearce on five pitches to force in the tying run and then gave up a two-run single to J.D. Martinez. The fireman is supposed to put out the fire, not feed it.

The Dodgers haven’t won a World Series in 30 years and now face long odds to end that streak. The Red Sox are closing in on their ninth championship and first since 2013. The World Series went seven games each of the last two years and three of the past four, but no longer promises such drama.

Perhaps in the warm sunshine of Southern California, the Dodgers will figure out who they are and how to play this game.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman