MLB Roundup 11/1: Dodgers force Game Seven

Dodgers come back for Game Six victory, force Game Seven

A World Series this epic with this many classic games deserves a Game Seven, and the Dodgers made sure that will happen with their victory on Tuesday night. The Astros actually got on the board first, and for the first part of the game it looked like theirs to lose. They could only manage one run off Rich Hill, but they had Justin Verlander on the mound and he was absolutely cruising. That changed in the bottom half of the sixth, when Los Angeles finally got to the Astros ace. They didn’t waste any time in the inning, either, getting a single, a hit by pitch, a double and a sacrifice fly and all of a sudden the Dodgers had a 2-1 lead. They’d add one more in the seventh on a Joc Pederson home run, and their bullpen was up to the task of holding on to the lead. It wasn’t the wild slugfest we’ve started to get used to in this series, but it was still a close game. Now, it all comes down to Wednesday night, and you can bet on everyone being available for any situation in Game Seven. It’s going to be fun.

Dodgers set to move on without Rick Honeycutt

Despite all of the Dodgers success this season, with much of that coming in the pitching staff, the team appears ready to move on to 2018 without their pitching coach Rick Honeycutt. It’s been one of those years for pitching coaches, with some of the biggest names in the industry moving to new organizations. It’s a bit jarring to see a World Series team decide they need a new pitching coach, and possibly even more jarring that it’s leaking out at such an important point in the championship series. Either way, Honeycutt has had plenty of success in this league and will likely be a popular target among teams in need of coaching help. The Red Sox are one of those teams, and while it’s still not clear what direction Alex Cora will want to go, I’d imagine they’ll at least explore the possibility of bringing Honeycutt in for an interview.