Red Sox World Series: Five reasons why Game 3 was lost

BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 03: Ian Kinsler #5 of the Boston Red Sox winces as he walks back to to dugout in the bottom of the first inning of the game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on August 3, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 03: Ian Kinsler #5 of the Boston Red Sox winces as he walks back to to dugout in the bottom of the first inning of the game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on August 3, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
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HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 17: Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox looks on in the second inning against the Houston Astros during Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 17, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 17: Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox looks on in the second inning against the Houston Astros during Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 17, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

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.

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