Red Sox World Series: Five reasons why Game 3 was lost
By Sean Penney
Top of the lineup production
The Red Sox scored two runs on seven hits in Game 3. That typically wouldn’t be considered horrendous production but it sure feels like it if you consider 18 innings essentially made this two games’s worth of plate appearances.
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Boston led the majors in runs scored with a top-heavy lineup loaded with star power. This time, the top four hitters in the lineup let them down. Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Mitch Moreland and J.D. Martinez combined for a soul-crushing 0-for-23 in this game.
It doesn’t help that Andrew Benintendi started the game on the bench, striking out in his lone pinch-hit appearance. Martinez missed nearly half the game after being lifted for a pinch-runner and defensive replacement as part of a double-switch in the 10th. The Red Sox weren’t built for National League rules and are at a distinct disadvantage on the road in this series.
Despite limited opportunities from two of their top hitters, Boston still has enough firepower to muster more offense than this. Betts was an abysmal 0-for-7 with a walk and three strikeouts at the top of the lineup. Granted, at least one of those strikeouts was highly questionable. Still, the Red Sox need more from the front-runner for MVP.
A tip of the cap to the Dodgers pitching staff is warranted yet a lineup this dangerous comes with certain expectations that they didn’t deliver on.