True Blue LA - World Series Game 2: Astros 7, Dodgers 6 (11)Where The Dodger Dogs Are Always Grilledhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49563/truebluela_fav.png2017-10-26T11:18:44-07:00http://www.truebluela.com/rss/stream/163125892017-10-26T11:18:44-07:002017-10-26T11:18:44-07:00Kenley Jansen is human, and now the World Series is tied
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<figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="TfqIGs">LOS ANGELES — First things first: Game 2 of the World Series was an incredible spectacle from start to finish, even if the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> blew a chance to take a stranglehold on the series.</p>
<p id="pfww54">From the wonderful <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/25/16551174/vin-scully-brings-all-the-feels-during-pre-game-festivities">open-mic Vin Scully first pitch ceremony</a> through to the very end, this game just about had it all. There were eight home runs, a new single-game World Series record. <em>Five</em> of them were in extra innings, including three by the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a>, both postseason records as well.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bregman: "It’s gotta be the greatest game I’ve ever played in and probably everybody in here."</p>— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/923434158403153920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2017</a>
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<p id="eMf5df">“Honestly, it was an exciting baseball game,” manager <span>Dave Roberts</span> said. “It’s two teams that competed for 27 outs, and yeah, it was an emotional roller coaster.”</p>
<p id="dloeoo">Actually, both teams competed for <em>33 outs</em>.</p>
<p id="j7qNlg">“That’s an incredible game on so many levels, so many ranges of emotion,” said Astros manager A.J. Hinch. “If you like October baseball, if you like any kind of baseball, that’s one of the most incredible games you’ll ever be a part of.”</p>
<p id="Cy0XI9">We also had <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/10/25/16551304/world-series-game-2-chris-taylor-hat-face-defense-dodgers">the brim of Chris Taylor’s cap somehow saving a run</a>, there was <span>George Springer</span> losing his head (<a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2017/10/25/16551472/world-series-dodgers-astros-giant-virtual-ad-george-springer">at least on television</a>), and second base umpire Laz Diaz getting hit by a terribly offline pickoff throw in the ninth inning.</p>
<p id="V4jUXQ">“We didn't get a chance to advance, but that's baseball,” Roberts said of the throw. “Things like that happen.”</p>
<p id="tY5BYu">There was <span>Yasiel Puig</span> upset that he didn’t make a catch of <a href="http://m.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article/259716320/yasiel-puig-unable-to-come-up-with-bregman-hit/">a ball that he had little to no business even getting to</a>. “I feel like every ball that goes to right field is a ball that I should catch,” he said.</p>
<p id="mIiDMX">There was <span>Charlie Culberson</span> continuing his October extra-base hit party with a home run, and <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/10/26/16551932/charlie-culberson-home-run-reaction-world-series-dodgers-astros-game-2-relax-adrenaline">no he didn’t think he tied the game</a>. He was just excited in the moment.</p>
<p id="MUt1XW">I completely understand if Dodgers fans are in no mood to appreciate what we just saw, not after coming up on the wrong end of the result. After all, I doubt Mary Todd Lincoln felt much like appreciating the solid acting choices made in <em>‘Our American Cousin.’</em></p>
<div class="c-float-right"><aside id="Hdu7Xe"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Dodgers bullpen finally cracks as Astros steal Game 2 to even World Series","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/25/16551218/dodgers-bullpen-human-astros-home-runs-world-series-game-2-recap"},{"title":"Dodgers remain confident after Game 2 loss","url":"https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/10/26/16552034/kenley-jansen-blown-save-dodgers-bullpen-world-series-confidence"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="whD1LB">Game 2 saw the Dodgers erase two deficits and nearly erase a third. It saw the Astros erase a deficit against a bullpen that was dominant to this point in the postseason. Nobody in the bullpens were safe, least of all on the Astros side, where <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-dodger-arrest-20171026-story.html">a fan was arrested erasing the line between spectator and doofus</a>.</p>
<p id="i2JG8Q">The final ledger shows <span>Brandon McCarthy</span> took the loss, allowing a two-run home run in the 11th to George Springer. McCarthy was the eighth relief pitcher used by the Dodgers on a night where <span>Rich Hill</span> was pulled after just four innings and 60 pitches, trailing 1-0.</p>
<p id="7seUXq">These are choices made by Roberts worthy of debate to be sure, but the bottom line is pretty clear. The Dodgers had their best pitcher — <span>Kenley Jansen</span> — on the mound with a two-run lead, and didn’t close it out.</p>
<p id="h3Ifsp">That’s going to sting.</p>
<p id="1vIHlY">Yes, he needed to get six outs, but when he was brought in in the eighth inning, it was to face the Astros’ best hitters — <span>Jose Altuve</span> and <span>Carlos Correa</span>. That’s exactly how to utilize leverage.</p>
<p id="PlmSel">You could argue that the Dodgers could have kept Hill in for longer, or even <span>Kenta Maeda</span>, or any number of pitchers, potentially lessening the burden on Jansen to only three outs, instead of six. But that argument boils down to preferring a lesser pitcher for an extended outing over Jansen, who coming into Wednesday threw 14 pitches in the previous five days, with an off day coming Thursday.</p>
<p id="VGWmMj">Even after Jansen allowed the inherited runner to score in the eighth, he had a one-run lead in the ninth inning. Again, that’s a situation you take 100 times out of 100.</p>
<p id="zevy5b">He left a cutter over the plate, and <span>Marwin Gonzalez</span> made him pay, hitting the game-tying home run.</p>
<p id="51tjzD">“I wanted the ball up and in,” Jansen said. “The ball’s been carrying the whole night tonight. It was one missed pitch, and he got me.”</p>
<p id="mJKDGo">“Gonzalez put a good swing on an 0-2 pitch, and it was center cut. You tip your hat to him,” Roberts said. “With Kenley’s workload, where he was at, that part of the order, it’s a great spot for him. And it just doesn’t always go as planned.”</p>
<h3 id="WKgC7t">Up next</h3>
<p id="cSD5wD">The series shifts to Houston, with <span>Yu Darvish</span> starting Game 3 on Friday night, a 5:09 p.m. start. The Dodgers will travel to Houston on Thursday morning and hold a workout at Minute Maid Park later in the day. <span>Lance McCullers Jr.</span> starts for the Astros on Friday.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/26/16551982/kenley-jansen-blown-save-world-series-game-2-dodgers-astrosEric Stephen2017-10-25T21:36:53-07:002017-10-25T21:36:53-07:00Extra bases allow Astros to take wild Game 2 in extras
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<img alt="World Series - Houston Astros v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game Two" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6aR6gdYljcdPPXxJc4AZYA4R3x4=/0x0:5443x3629/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57328543/866455338.0.jpg" />
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<p>8 home runs were hit in Game 2, including 5 in extra innings</p> <p id="gWZn1Y">LOS ANGELES — The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> bullpen showed vulnerability for the first time in a long while, unable to hold a lead for the first time all postseason. The <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> hit four home runs against Dodgers relievers to win a back-and-forth wild Game 2, 7-6 in 11 innings on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.</p>
<p id="PvcmJZ">The World Series is now even at one game apiece.</p>
<p id="xesV3K">The winning blow came off the bat of <span>George Springer</span>, a two-run home run against <span>Brandon McCarthy</span>, making his postseason debut. Springer, who was 3-for-30 since the start of the ALCS, was 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and a walk on Wednesday, making a prophet of manager A.J. Hinch.</p>
<p id="2dMZHk">“I think his swing is great,” Hinch said before the game. “He's one of the most electrifying players in the game.”</p>
<p id="56hdpJ">McCarthy was the eighth reliever used by the Dodgers. In the 10th inning, <span>Josh Fields</span> faced three batters and allowed an extra-base hit to all three, including back-to-back home runs by <span>Jose Altuve</span> and <span>Carlos Correa</span>.</p>
<p id="Ix37Pl">But the Dodgers rallied to tie in the bottom of the inning. <span>Yasiel Puig</span> homered in the ninth inning against <span>Ken Giles</span> — working his second inning — to pull the Dodgers within a run, and walked <span>Logan Forsythe</span> with two outs to put the tying run on base, then wild pitched him into scoring position. <span>Kiké Hernandez</span> singled to right field to bring home the equalizer.</p>
<p id="ynzB1N"><span>Kenley Jansen</span>, asked to get six outs for the first time this postseason, suffered the first blown save of his postseason career, allowing an inherited run to score in the eighth inning — <span>Alex Bregman</span> doubled against <span>Brandon Morrow</span> to lead off the eighth inning, <em>just</em> out of the reach of a diving Puig in right field — and a solo home run by <span>Marwin Gonzalez</span> in the ninth inning to tie the score at 3-3.</p>
<p id="1qLhxS">The near catch by Puig was incredible, but he wanted more.</p>
<p id="Mp32Do">“I wasn’t able to make the catch on that play. For a while I felt it was my fault and that’s why we were losing, but that’s how the game is,” Puig said. “I feel like every ball that goes to right field is a ball that I should catch.”</p>
<p id="3JH3TO">The six runs allowed in Game 2 snapped the Dodgers’ bullpen streak of 28 consecutive scoreless innings. It also was two more than the total runs allowed by the bullpen before Wednesday night, in 30⅔ innings.</p>
<p id="j7bjxB">The Astros scored in each of the final four innings.</p>
<p id="yO6HpZ">It was just the second inherited runner Jansen has allowed to score in his postseason career — out of 11 total inherited runners — and his first since Game 1 of the 2013 NLCS. Jansen was 12-for-12 in postseason save attempts in his career before Wednesday night, and waas 41-for-42 during the regular season.</p>
<p id="r5GXdt">Naturally, the Dodgers scored in the bottom of the 11th, on a home run by <span>Charlie Culberson</span>, but couldn’t get the tying run home this time around.</p>
<h3 id="zE3e3u">Sixth inning script</h3>
<p id="PXcjmx">Both games were tied at 1-1 in the sixth inning, and both saw a two-out walk by <span>Chris Taylor</span> to extend the frame. In Game 2, it was against <span>Justin Verlander</span>, who was carving up Dodgers hitters most of the night, allowing only two hits.</p>
<p id="3KBdVV">The second of those hits was an opposite field home run by <span>Corey Seager</span>, one night after <span>Justin Turner</span> did the same against Dallas Keuchel. Seager knew it was gone right away, based on his reaction:</p>
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<img alt="World Series - Houston Astros v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game Two" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/L7rpG-5yuxT1Fe8mgLdH44_cRr0=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9540943/866443086.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="I6XBGE"><span>Rich Hill</span> had an eventful start, striking out seven and walking three, including one intentionally. He was also done after just four innings even with a relatively low pitch count of 60. But with five consecutive right-handed batters due up for Houston, that was the <span>Kenta Maeda</span> signal.</p>
<p id="g4YqoA">“I just felt that right there at the top of their order coming up, and with the way our bullpen has been throwing, you look back behind that, we had three scoreless innings after that,” Dave Roberts said. “The bottom line is I’ll take Kenley any day of the week with a one-run lead going into the ninth inning.”</p>
<p id="h7TPVG">“The competitive side of me wants to stay in the game. I felt good, and the ball came out of my hand the way I wanted to,” Hill said. “The curveball was good tonight.”</p>
<p id="JtohJa">Hill allowed a run on two hits, and it was the first run the Dodgers have allowed without a home run since Game 1 of the NLDS. The Dodgers’ string of seven straight games without allowing a hit with a runner in scoring position ended in the third inning, snapping an 0-for-16 string.</p>
<p id="Bxcgtz">But you know things were going right at the time for the Dodgers when they allowed <em>two consecutive</em> hits with RISP but only one run scored, thanks in large part to <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/10/25/16551304/world-series-game-2-chris-taylor-hat-face-defense-dodgers">the strangest carom in recent memory</a>, directly off the brim of a diving Taylor’s cap in center field to the waiting arms of <span>Joc Pederson</span>, preventing further damage on the play.</p>
<h3 id="ivyu8l">De-troit ja vu?</h3>
<p id="FwQlpn">Pederson, <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/25/16548646/joc-pederson-austin-barnes-dogers-lineup-world-series-game-2">inserted into the lineup in Game 2 because Dave Roberts liked the matchup against Verlander</a>, paid further dividends in the fifth, slamming a home run to right field to break up Verlander’s no-hitter, and tie the game.</p>
<p id="1MQFFD">It was reminiscent of Pederson’s other postseason home run, in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the 2016 NLDS. That was against another former <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a> pitcher in <span>Max Scherzer</span>, and also the game at 1-1.</p>
<p id="COj3sX">Maeda actually allowed a hit in his relief appearance, so now batters are 1-for-20 against him this postseason, but he did not allow a run. There were tense moments against the Dodgers bullpen in the middle innings, but a pair of 5-6-3 double plays induced by <span>Tony Watson</span> and Morrow, one to each side of the infield (Justin Turner shifted against the left-handed <span>Josh Reddick</span> in the sixth inning), kept the Astros at bay.</p>
<h3 id="JBktKA">Game 2 info</h3>
<p id="s0KyQK"><strong>Home runs</strong>: Joc Pederson (1), Corey Seager (1), Yasiel Puig (2), Charlie Culberson (1); Marwin Gonzalez (1), Jose Altuve (6), Carlos Correa (4), George Springer (2)</p>
<p id="GghoaC"><strong>WP - </strong><span><strong>Chris Devenski</strong></span><strong> (1-0)</strong>: 1⅓ IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 strikeout</p>
<p id="jT7HHn"><strong>LP - Brandon McCarthy (0-1)</strong>: 1 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs</p>
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https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/25/16551218/dodgers-bullpen-human-astros-home-runs-world-series-game-2-recapEric Stephen2017-10-25T19:30:02-07:002017-10-25T19:30:02-07:00World Series Game 2 chat
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<figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="sVQO87">Continue the Game 2 discussion here.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/25/16550564/world-series-game-2-chatEric Stephen2017-10-25T18:15:02-07:002017-10-25T18:15:02-07:00World Series Game 2 chat
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<img alt="World Series - Houston Astros v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game One" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LPrqWVDGW1bCVntMpx2ILEl04pE=/0x0:3402x2268/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57324445/866044808.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="rXQCRH">Continue the Game 2 discussion here.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/25/16550562/world-series-game-2-chatEric Stephen2017-10-25T15:09:14-07:002017-10-25T15:09:14-07:00Pederson starts in LF in Game 2
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<figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="hZqRNw">LOS ANGELES — <span>Joc Pederson</span> gets the start in left field for the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> in Game 2 of the World Series against <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a> right-hander <span>Justin Verlander</span>, his first postseason start in left field.</p>
<p id="iEGmx8">Pederson started Game 4 of the NLCS, but in center field, where he made his previous 14 starts. He started twice in left field in September.</p>
<div class="c-float-right"><div id="ZdO75G"><div data-anthem-component="table:723309"></div></div></div>
<p id="LiP5as">With Curtis Granderson <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/24/16534334/dodgers-world-series-roster-corey-seager-brandon-mccarthy-curtis-granderson">left off the World Series roster</a>, the Dodgers’ choices in left field against right-handed pitchers essentially boil down to Pederson or <span>Andre Ethier</span>, who started twice in the NLCS.</p>
<p id="FUXaoJ">“I think that [Verlander] is obviously plus, plus velocity. I like Joc a little bit better with the velocity,” manager <span>Dave Roberts</span> said. “And I think Joc is a better defender in left field, too.”</p>
<p id="ShE4Qt">Verlander allowed two hits and just one run to the Dodgers on Aug. 20 in Detroit, and one of the hits was a home run by Granderson.</p>
<p id="ePL9Mv"><span>Austin Barnes</span> had the other hit in that game, and he starts at catcher, his eighth start in 10 games this postseason, including three starts against a right-handed pitcher. <span>Barnes</span> this postseason is 7-for-26 with a home run, a double, and four walks, hitting .269/.367/.423.</p>
<p id="i6ziia"><span>Chase Utley</span> gets a start at second base, looking to snap an 0-for-24 skid in the postseason, dating back to Game 5 of the 2016 NLDS. This year in the postseason, Utley is 0-for-9 with two walks and a hit by pitch.</p>
<p id="PTlKDE">The <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> are keeping the same lineup from Game 1.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/25/16548646/joc-pederson-austin-barnes-dogers-lineup-world-series-game-2Eric Stephen2017-10-25T10:00:04-07:002017-10-25T10:00:04-07:00Rich Hill is ready for his World Series moment
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<img alt="MLB: NLCS-Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JZ2GHZC-PBP6fW2yhgwNaRR3W5Y=/0x0:3784x2523/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57314841/usa_today_10350016.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="9BSAbL">LOS ANGELES — The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> try to extend their World Series lead over the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, and they send <span>Rich Hill</span> to the mound facing one of the teams who courted him as a free agent last winter.</p>
<p id="ZLc8UN">Hill mentioned the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> and Astros as teams that showed interest in his services, though he ultimately decided to return to the Dodgers at the winter meetings in December on a three-year, $48 million deal.</p>
<p id="cryRIo">“It went pretty far. The contractual talks got pretty deep,” Hill said of his dalliance with the Astros. “It didn't get as far as flying out to Houston.”</p>
<p id="uSQvWD">It has been a long journey for Hill to get to this point, making his World Series debut at age 37, just 27 months removed from pitching in independent league baseball with the Long Island Ducks, the experience of which already gave us the line of this World Series that is unlikely to be topped.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rich Hill put being in the World Series in persoective: “A couple years ago, I was using a bucket in independent ball as a toilet.”</p>— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) <a href="https://twitter.com/Feinsand/status/922246069181747200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2017</a>
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<p id="U6IkSw">“Really going back and thinking about that it was a great experience. I wouldn't change that for anything. It was learning, again, reigniting that fire, reigniting that passion for what we do out there on the field,” Hill said. “And really getting back into disassociating yourself with the results and just understanding that it is a pitch-to-pitch process and understanding that the moment is all that matters.”</p>
<p id="smRkSK">The results have been there for Hill since his Long Island days. Since rejoining the majors in late 2015, first with the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a>, then with the A’s and now the Dodgers, he has a 2.65 ERA in 49 starts. Among pitchers with at least 40 starts in the last three seasons, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/UhqRV">Hill’s 156 ERA+ ranks second in the majors</a>, behind only <span>Clayton Kershaw</span>.</p>
<p id="zfkW0A">Hill often talks of living in the moment, and keeping things simple, like using his best pitch more often. He <a href="http://www.brooksbaseball.net/tabs.php?player=448179&p_hand=-1&ppos=-1&cn=200&compType=none&risp=0&1b=0&2b=0&3b=0&rType=perc&gFilt=&time=month&minmax=ci&var=traj&s_type=2&endDate=10/25/2017&startDate=04/03/2017">threw his curveball 39% of the time this season</a>, more often <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=100&type=4&season=2017&month=0&season1=2017&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=9,d">than all but one major league pitcher with at least 100 innings</a>.</p>
<p id="kVMjir">The only pitcher who threw his curveball more often than Hill in 2017 was <span>Lance McCullers</span>, who ended Game 7 of the ALCS with 24 consecutive curveballs.</p>
<p id="WXiXEH">“I did see that,” Hill said Tuesday. “It was awesome.”</p>
<p id="vPnFob">Hill is one of the most mild-mannered Dodgers, at least on days he’s not pitching. But on the mound, he transforms into a ball of intensity.</p>
<p id="yntYyF">“It starts from the moment he walks in the clubhouse. There is just that glazed look over his eyes, and he's really not seeing or hearing you,” manager <span>Dave Roberts</span> said. “That certainly is contagious, and it heightens the focus. Any time he takes the mound, I think we all get fired up. Just everyone feeds off of it.”</p>
<p id="gLZ3sm">The Dodgers face a tough task in Game 2, facing a pitcher in <span>Justin Verlander</span> who since joining the Astros has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball. He has taken the ball nine times for Houston, including the playoffs — eight starts, and one relief appearance. He has won all nine games, allowing eight total runs, with 67 strikeouts, 11 walks and a 1.23 ERA.</p>
<p id="swNzJ8">Verlander shares some of that hyper intensity with Hill.</p>
<p id="SY96vZ">“There are times throughout the course of the game where I lose track of where we're at in the game and don't really know what's going on,” Verlander said. “It's just my sole focus even between innings is thinking about what I can do to execute and thinking about what pitches I should throw and what I've seen and what my instincts are telling me, you're just that much more focused on the task at hand.”</p>
<p id="gkIWH5">Sounds like Game 2 is something to focus on.</p>
<h3 id="bCbsr6">World Series Game 2 info</h3>
<p id="UQNdvu">First pitch: 5:09 p.m.</p>
<p id="co87BV">TV: Fox (coverage starts at 4:30 p.m.)</p>
<p id="hmSXqO">Announcers: Joe Buck, John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal, Tom Verducci</p>
<p id="erL81V">Online streaming: <a href="https://www.foxsportsgo.com/">Fox Sports Go</a></p>
<p id="KGRVZk">Local radio: AM 570 (Charley Steiner, Rick Monday)</p>
<p id="hsZeFt">National radio: ESPN Radio (Dan Shulman, <span>Aaron Boone</span>)</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/25/16544654/rich-hill-focus-world-series-game-2-preview-justin-verlander-dodgers-astrosEric Stephen2017-10-22T16:55:54-07:002017-10-22T16:55:54-07:00Dodgers sticking with same starting rotation order for World Series
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<img alt="League Championship Series - Chicago Cubs v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game Two" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kMMwSXelrUL2fWJkdX8UG2g8vbA=/0x0:3962x2641/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57260483/861754486.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Harry How/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="wV7pQm">The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> are sticking with the same starting rotation order against the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a> in the World Series that they used in the first two round of the playoffs, with <span>Rich Hill</span> starting Game 2 at Dodger Stadium and <span>Yu Darvish</span> in Game 3 on the road, manager <span>Dave Roberts</span> told <a href="https://twitter.com/McCulloughTimes/status/922249413992448001">reporters</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaThornton_/status/922249385508876288">before</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/billplunkettocr/status/922249478953877504">Sunday’s</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BillShaikin/status/922249549539708930">workout</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/alannarizzo/status/922249554782593030">at Dodger Stadium</a>.</p>
<p id="AXgunx">Both pitchers were acquired from American League West teams in deadline deals the last two seasons, and have a recent history against the Astros, Darvish more so than Hill. </p>
<p id="OWNp5f">Since the start of 2016, Darvish has five starts against the Astros, posting a 3.21 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 11 walks in 28 innings. Two of those starts came at Minute Maid Park, with seven shutout innings and eight strikeouts in 2016, then one run allowed on just one hit in seven innings this season, on June 12.</p>
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<p id="V6BsqK">Hill with the A’s started twice against the Astros in the last two seasons, both in 2016. He allowed two runs in six innings last May 1 in Oakland, then struck out 10 in six innings, allowing one run in a win in Houston on July 7.</p>
<p id="L86tF7"><span>Clayton Kershaw</span> will <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/21/16515808/world-series-2017-dallas-keuchel-clayton-kershaw-game-1-start">start Game 1 for the Dodgers</a>, with <span>Dallas Keuchel</span> and <span>Justin Verlander</span> starting Games 1 and 2, respectively for the Astros. </p>
<p id="LN4XgJ"><span>Alex Wood</span> starts <a href="https://twitter.com/alannarizzo/status/922249696428429312">Game 4 for the Dodgers</a>.</p>
<aside id="Orn1XI"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"World Series start times announced by MLB","url":"https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/20/16510690/world-series-start-times-schedule-dodgers-astros"}]}'></div></aside><p id="gLkhgn">In 16 starts at Dodger Stadium this season Hill has a 2.79 ERA, with 105 strikeouts and 37 walks in 87 innings. He has allowed three runs in nine innings in his two postseason starts, with 12 strikeouts.</p>
<p id="C3AM1o">Darvish this postseason has allowed one run and struck out seven in both of his starts, both on the road in Games 3, totaling 11⅓ innings. In his last five starts, including the regular season, Darvish has a 0.88 ERA with 35 strikeouts and two walks.</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2017/10/22/16517526/rich-hill-yu-darvish-dodgers-starting-rotation-world-seriesEric Stephen