A strong start from rookie Walker Buehler would go a long way for the Dodgers as they look to swing the series momentum in front of the home crowd.The 24-year-old has a 1.93 ERA at home this season http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey , and he's stood up well to the pressure of October baseball so far, turning in a solid outing in Game 7 of the NLCS his last time out.David Adler of MLB.comcalled attention to the Red Sox's abilities as a fastball-hitting team, so the key for Buehler could be his ability to locate his curveball.Adler wrote: "One area Boston showed just a sliver of vulnerability is against high-spin curveballs, and Buehler has one. The MLB average curveball spin rate in 2018 was 2,492 rpm. Buehler's averaged2,756 rpm as a starterin the regular season, and it is averaging 2,800 rpm in the playoffs. More spin on a curveball generally means more movement and better outcomes for the pitcher."Buehler threw his curveball 14.1 percent of the time during the regular season, holding opposing hitters to a .179 batting average and a stingy .036 ISO, according to Brooks Baseball.Offensively, keep an eye on Manny Machado, who has enjoyed significant success against Red Sox starter Rick Porcello in his career with a13-for-38line that includes two home runs.Red SoxJ.D. MartinezMaddie Meyer/Getty ImagesFiguring out how to get J.D. Martinez into the lineup with the DH no longer in play will be the biggest pregame decision for Alex Cora.Mike Petriello of MLB.com spelled out his two choices:Start Brock Holt at 2B, Mookie Betts in CF, J.D. Martinez in RF, bench Jackie Bradley and Ian Kinsler.Start Mookie Betts at 2B, Jackie Bradley in CF, J.D. Martinez in RF, bench Brock Holt andIan Kinsler.Martinez played left field (32 games) and right field (25 games) sparingly this season Nolan Ryan Jersey , while Betts played six innings at second base and has ample experience from his time in the minors, so option No. 2 is not as far-fetched as it might seem.Martinez is hitting .333/.429/.538 with two home runs and 13 RBI in 11 games this postseason, so there's no way he won't be part of the starting lineup.It's also worthmentioning that the versatile Holt was an excellent5-for-13 with two doubles, one triple and two home runs as a pinch-hitter during the regular season, so he has a chance to be a real weapon off the bench.On the pitching side, manager Alex Cora will need to decide whether to use Nathan Eovaldi in the eighth inning again if the score is close. The standout starter pitched a scoreless eighth in Game 1 and Game 2, and Cora didn't rule out a similar approach in Game 3, despite the fact that Eovaldi is currently in line for the Game 4 start."You never know," Cora told reporters. "Like I've been saying all along, we're all-in every day. If we feel there's a chance to close the door with them, we'll use him. The way it's mapped out, it's Rick in Game 3 and maybe Nate in Game 4. But Nate might come in in the eighth again. If we have a chance to be up 3-0 with him on the mound, and then [Craig Kimbrel], we'll do it. And then we'll figure out Game 4."If Eovaldi does wind up pitching on Friday, that could mean a start for Eduardo Rodriguez.One thing is for sure, there's no shortage of interesting storylines heading into Game 3 of the 2018 World Series.All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted. Few players in major league history delivered less bang for the big bucks than Chris Davis in 2018.The two-time home run champion batted .168 with 192 strikeouts for the Baltimore Orioles before being benched in September following a 1-for-37 skid. His 16 homers and 49 RBIs were his fewest since 2011, and his .296 slugging percentage ranked last among 141 qualifiers.Entering the fourth season of a $161 million http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey , seven-year contract, Davis knows there likely is nowhere to go but up.“Anything above what I did last year, I guess would be considered successful,” he said. “But the goal is getting back to the player that I was in 2013, 2012, 2015, years I was productive. Just being a threat in the lineup, a guy who produces runs, who his teammates can count on.”Davis had 33 homers and 85 RBIs with Baltimore in 2012, then led the majors in 2013 with 53 long balls and 138 RBIs. He slipped a bit the following season but rebounded in 2015 with 47 home runs and 117 RBIs.That earned him the biggest contract in franchise history, but his power numbers have dwindled in each of the past three seasons. He hit bottom last year with the worst batting average by a qualifier in major league history.The rebuilding Orioles can’t trade the 32-year-old Davis because he’s making too much money. So they can only hope he gets his stroke back.“I want to give him every opportunity to have the years that he had in the past,” rookie manager Brandon Hyde said. “You just don’t have the years he’s had by chance. There’s something there you tap into. I know that he’s hungry and ready to start the year.”Davis went hitless in his first four at-bats this spring, striking out three times, before going deep against Tampa Bay on Tuesday — his first home run since Aug. 24. Working with new hitting coach Don Long, Davis feels like he’s getting a fresh start.“I think it’s a positive, to be honest with you,” he said. “I think it’s a good chance for me to reset and kind of regroup and put really the last couple of years behind me and just move forward.”As a concession to his age, Davis cut back on his weightlifting during the offseason and stayed on a strict diet.“Everybody keeps telling me I look skinny Reggie Jackson Jersey , so I guess that’s a compliment,” he said. “I feel more ready this time than I did last year. That’s saying a lot, because I felt like I was going to have a really good year last year going into spring training. I’m ready to put last year behind me and start this season.”He also worked on getting back the confidence and swagger he carried during his finest seasons in the big leagues.“I was searching for a certain feeling, a feeling I’ve had my whole life that I for some reason have lost touch with it over the past couple years,” he said. “Going through last season, going through that stretch of failure day in and day out, got me to the point of, OK, now we have to exhaust all options and take a step back and make an adjustment.“I made a lot of changes this offseason. I was talking to a lot of people, people that I hadn’t seen in a decade but knew me at a younger age when I was in the Rangers’ minor league system. I feel like it just kind of opened me up.”Davis hopes his work with Long will help him succeed against the shift. By vacating the left side of the infield and puting a fielder in short right field, opponents have denied the left-handed pull hitter countless potential hits.“It’s definitely taken a toll on me,” Davis said. “It’s killing me as far as my average is concerned.”No shift can handle a ball hit over the fence, and Davis is convinced he will return to form.“I still feel like I’m at the top of my game,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a chance to redeem myself.”
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