The Red Sox can move one step closer to a World Series title with a win tonight (8:09 p.m., FOX) in Los Angeles behind Rick Porcello (17-7, 4.28 ERA).

About Game 3: Porcello, still in the midst of the “throw the shit out my arm” period of the year, will look to put together one of those starts where he’s unhittable and the game’s over before you know it. That would help, because you know we’ll see for the first time in the series? A full Dodgers lineup! The righty on the mound for Boston brings out L.A.’s big bats, with Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy and Joc Pederson returning. So that’s why this team made the World Series!

Porcello will be matched by the young but extremely talented Walker Buehler (8-5, 2.62 ERA), who will likely give the Sox lineup the toughest look they’ve seen so far in the series. Let’s go back to the Pitching Ninja for his scouting report:

To the lineup, which is... missing Andrew Benintendi? Well, yes. This seems to be the point:

Anyhow, I think the chances of us seeing Beni before the night is over are somewhere near 100 percent. Xander Bogaerts moves up to number two in the order, while Mitch Moreland makes his first start of the series at first and bats third, Brock Holt’s at second and Rafael Devers at third. Jackie Bradley Jr. plays center and bats seventh, while Christian Vázquez bats eighth and plays catcher.

For the Dodgers, it really is a different universe, with Pederson leading off, Muncy batting third and Bellinger batting fifth. It’s a scarier universe, too. Yasmani Grandal is set up to be the hero, if only because he’s been a goat so often recently, but maybe he’s just gonna goat it up for two more games? That’d be ideal. We’ll vote for that.

About Game 2: A two-out, fifth-inning rally punctuated by as two-run J.D. Martinez single gave the Sox a 4-2 lead they would hold onto.

Forecast: 72 degrees and sunny. L.A. gonna L.A.

Today’s reading: Mookie Betts is gonna play second this series, my dudes.

A good tweet:

LINEUPS