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3 red flags that should worry Dodgers fans despite magical Game 1 win
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3 red flags that should worry Dodgers fans despite magical Game 1 win

Los Angeles Dodgers fans couldn’t have felt better after Game 1 of the World Series. At more than one point, what looked like a lackluster loss to the U.S. New York Yankees Facing one of the most iconic wins in Fall Classic history, hobbled first baseman Freddie Freeman does his best Kirk Gibson impression. walking grand slam In the bottom of the 10th inning. Now Los Angeles is just three wins away from winning its first full-season title since 1988; There is one more game to be played at Dodger Stadium and the Yankees are reeling.

But as incredible as this victory is, the horse is not in the stable yet. We still have three wins to go and plenty of baseball games left to be played; That includes a scary trip to Yankee Stadium next week. Dave Roberts and Co. know now is not the time to take their eyes off the prize, and there are a few reasons to pause based on how Game 1 played out.

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Lost in the late-game heroics? The Dodgers mostly struggled on the field in Game 1, scoring two runs before extras, both of which got at least a partial boost from the Yankees’ defensive miscues. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freeman remain as dangerous as ever, but Los Angeles hasn’t been able to get enough value from further up the order. Names like Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez, and Will Smith will need to hit it big at some point in this series because the big three can only take these Dodgers so far. Lineup depth was a concern for both teams entering the series, and that remains the case one game later.

Losing Evan Phillips has already hurt the Dodgers’ back end, and now Treinen may finally be wavering a bit. After allowing a homer to lead off in Game 6 New York MetsThe righty allowed what could have been a decisive run in the top of the 10th — and again it was his inability to hold on to runners that was to blame, as Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and then swiped both second and third base before coming on. He was about to score to give New York a 3-2 lead. Roberts won’t have any reservations about going to Treinen again with the game on the line, nor should he, but if he continues to struggle in this series, the Dodgers’ circle of trust will suddenly become much narrower.

Let’s say this for Roberts: He absolutely outplayed his counterpart Aaron Boone in Game 1. But that doesn’t mean he’s completely above criticism: He’s trying to get more playing time from Jack Flaherty, pushing him to the top of the Yankees standings for the third time. Greed was growing and it almost came back to bite his team. It’s a lesson Roberts must somehow learn, even with all his postseason experience, and all our previous concerns about his management of the bullpen remain. His stars (and some confusing decisions by Boone) saved him in Game 1, but who’s to say the old bugs won’t return the next time these teams find themselves in a close game late?