World Series Game 2 open thread

World Series: Tampa Bay Rays at Los Angeles Dodgers, Game 2 (Dodgers lead, 1-0)

8:08 PM, FOX

Y’all, I have a hot take to drop: The Los Angeles Dodgers are pretty good at baseball. #analysis

In the opening game of the World Series last night, the Dodgers looked every bit like the world-class heavyweights who trampled their regular-season opponents with an MLB-best 43-17 record. Los Angeles flashed its well-rounded roster with contributions from all over the team. Seven different batters contributed hits, and six drove in runs. Clayton Kershaw shooed away his postseason demons with a superb six-inning, one-run, eight-strikeout outing. And Mookie Betts earned everyone a free taco!

Hey, remember how the Red Sox just, like, traded away Mookie Betts? On purpose? I will never stop making fun of them for it. “bUt tHe LuXuRy tAx!!!” they say. Buncha clowns.

Still, it’s only one game, and the Rays still have plenty of time to get back into this thing. And, on paper, they’ve got the edge in tonight’s starting pitching matchup, with former Cy Young winner Blake Snell — who has a 3.20 ERA in four postseason starts this year — taking on rookie righty Tony Gonsolin, who made two NLCS appearances and gave up seven runs in 6.1 innings. Though Gonsolin has primarily been a starter in his brief career, he might only be used as an opener in this case, with Dustin May, Julio Urias, and others available to work in long relief.

Both teams have made a couple tweaks to their lineups for Game 2. The Rays have inserted lefty swingers Austin Meadows and Ji-Man Choi, who were benched against the southpaw Kershaw in Game 1, in place of Yandy Diaz and Hunter Renfroe. The Dodgers have swapped in AJ Pollock and Enrique Hernandez for Joc Pederson and Austin Barnes against the lefty Snell.

Rays lineup:

DH Austin Meadows
2B Brandon Lowe
LF Randy Arozarena
1B Ji-Man Choi
RF Manuel Margot
3B Joey Wendle
SS Willy Adames
CF Kevin Kiermaier
C Mike Zunino

LHP Blake Snell

Dodgers lineup:

RF Mookie Betts
SS Corey Seager
3B Justin Turner
1B Max Muncy
C Will Smith
CF Cody Bellinger
DH AJ Pollock
2B Enrique Hernandez
LF Chris Taylor

RHP Tony Gonsolin