Dominic Ambrose

ESPN SoCal

As the storied Dodgers and Red Sox franchises get ready for their three game series in historic Fenway Park, we see two teams in very different positions in the playoff picture.  But who has the advantage?  What could the series hinge on?  Let's take a look.

With the Red Sox, we have a team that is in the middle of the fight for one of the Wild Card spots in the American League (3.5 games out).  The Dodgers on the other hand, seem to be running away with the division in the NL West (12 games ahead of Arizona).  Offensively, the two teams are in the top-10 in the majors in runs scored.  So this series is at least on paper isn't going to end in one run games.  The teams have both had inconsistent performances on the pitching mound with the Dodgers 17th in the league in earned run average and the Red Sox 18th in the league.

On Offense - The Dodgers will be without J.D. Martinez (groin), but Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and company will be there to give the pitching staff run support.  With a return to Boston for Mookie Betts, I'd look for him to have a bit of an added incentive for a great series.  Freeman hasn't shown any signs of slowing in his production on offense.  As far as missing Martinez, manager Dave Roberts has said he will be out 2-3 weeks with the injury, I'm looking at Jason Heyward and Amed Rosario to step up and take advantage of the opening to get meaningful at bats on offense and starting nods in the field in the case of Rosario. 

On Pitching - The Dodgers will have Lance Lynn (9-9 5.60 ERA) in the first game followed by Julio Urias (11-6 4.15 ERA), and as of this writing TBD in the final game of series.  Lynn, acquired by the team during the season from the White Sox has since found new life going 3-0 in four starts since being acquired.    He also has a good arsenal of pitches to keep opposing batters guessing.  Urias and Lynn both offer solid velocity on their fastball and good command on location of their pitches.  They'll need all their tools to cool off the Red Sox bats.

Series prediction -  Dodgers stay hot and sweep Red Sox. 

--Dodgers news and information can be placed here--