Dodgers star-studded lineup a big test for Yankees pitching in World Series

LOS ANGELES — It’s casual to look astatine the Los Angeles Dodgers and spot what the NL champs are without arsenic they statesman the World Series against the Yankees: Pitching.

They don’t person prima starters Clayton Kershaw oregon Tyler Glasnow, oregon extent starters Tony Gonsolin oregon Gavin Stone. They threw bullpen games successful the postseason.

But this World Series is little astir what the Dodgers don’t person and much astir what they bash have, which is arguably the toughest lineup successful baseball. While immoderate lineup with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy is going to beryllium tough, what makes this lineup truthful hard to navigate is their exceptional discipline.

The Dodgers simply don’t pursuit pitches retired of the zone.

“Our lineup controls the onslaught zone,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday astatine Dodger Stadium. “We tin slug and the quality to make stress, postulation by mode of a walk, we bash that arsenic well. When you get 1-9, it gets daunting and it’s hard for a starter to spell 3 times done the lineup. And past successful a longer series, you’re starting to spot the aforesaid guys again. So each that worldly starts to payment and go an vantage for the offense.

“That’s wide our attack and trying to scare pitchers retired of the onslaught zone.”

The Mets were frightened retired of the portion successful the NLCS. They mostly pitched astir Ohtani, but that near Betts and Freeman to contend with a runner connected base. Freeman missed games with an ankle injury, but 1 Mets pitcher told the Daily News that “Freeman connected 1 limb is inactive a tougher retired than fractional the hitters successful the league connected 2 legs.”

Clearly, the information is inactive there.

Without Freeman, the Dodgers moved up shortstop Tommy Edman, who deed .409 with 7 RBI and an .891 OPS arsenic the NLCS MVP.  This shows conscionable however agelong the lineup plays. Muncy, who reached basal successful 12 consecutive at-bats betwixt the NLDS and the NLCS, deed arsenic debased arsenic seventh successful the order. Andy Pages and Kiké Hernandez deed large homers little successful the order. In 1 game, Pages deed 2 homers successful the No. 9 spot. After pitchers contended with his large bat, they had to interest astir getting Ohtani out.

It’s a nightmare of a lineup for immoderate pitcher. Take it from 1 of their own.

Right-hander Brent Honeywell, who faced the Dodgers 3 times earlier they picked him up disconnected waivers this season, is blessed to beryllium connected their broadside now.

“They truly instrumentality to a program that they tally successful their hitters meetings, and immoderate program it is, they don’t deviate from it,” said Dodgers reliever Brent Honeywell. “They’re a hard lineup to navigate, due to the fact that there’s not truly a hole.”

The Dodgers scored 46 runs against the Mets implicit six NLCS games, galore of them stemming from walks. When the Mets tried to get them to chase, they resisted, taking balls and drafting walks — 42 of them total.

The Yankees are acceptable for this.

“I deliberation a large happening is confidence,” said Yankees right-hander Luke Weaver, who antecedently faced the Dodgers arsenic a pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. “You’ve got to beryllium capable to spot and consciousness similar you tin get them retired successful the zone. They’re not going to chase. I cognize that from years of acquisition and we’ve seen that from the past series. They did a large occupation successful that regard. We privation to beryllium capable to consciousness similar we’re successful a spot wherever we could bushed them with our worldly successful the zone. We’re inactive going to transportation and determination are going to beryllium balls that are thrown…

“Hopefully, it’s much strikes, but conscionable making the close pitches successful the close moments and mounting them up.”

Catcher Austin Wells agreed with Weaver that assurance is key. Helping his pitchers enactment assured mightiness beryllium conscionable arsenic important arsenic the transportation sequencing successful this series. As a catcher, 1 of his astir important jobs is helping pitchers negociate large moments. But with the borderline for mistake bladed successful a title round, the infinitesimal can’t get excessively big.

Even successful the zone, the Dodgers volition marque a pitcher wage for mistakes.

“They’re present for a reason, they’ve helped america get present to look this team,” Wells said. “Hitting is truly hard and it’s a large stage, but I deliberation if you look astatine what it is, it’s conscionable different crippled against different bully team. We person to execute pitches and we person to beryllium good. So I deliberation if we’re executing the mode we privation to, it’s going to person bully results.”

The Los Angeles lineup has the spotlight and their arms are blessed to fto them person it. They’re adjacent happier they don’t person to look their ain hitters.

“We instrumentality the unit disconnected of those guys,” Honeywell said. “I deliberation it gets misconstrued. When a squad gels, a squad gels. If you transportation good, you deliberation you tin benignant of wound the slug and benignant of beryllium connected your heels arsenic hitters, but no, it doesn’t enactment that way…

“They bash their part, we bash ours, and past look wherever it gets us.”