Gamethread: Red Sox at Dodgers, World Series Game 3

Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Dodgers, World Series Game 3 (7:09 ET, FOX)

It’s desperation time for Los Angeles, as a loss tonight effectively ends the series. Unlike the LCS vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, in order to put their opponents on the ropes, the Dodgers will have to sweep Boston at Chavez Ravine, which seems an impossible task. But to sneak two of three, then hope for the right breaks and some heroic pitching in Games 6 and 7, isn’t outright fantasy.

It’s Walker Buehler vs. Rick Porcello tonight, a game that appears as even as you can get. If there’s a contest in this World Series — which, to be honest, has been a bit languid of pace and lacking late drama — that’s destined to be a classic, it appears to be tonight’s.

The lineups:

Andrew Benintendi will begin Game 3 on the bench, as J.D. Martinez and his chippy ankle gets the start in left field. Whoa. If Nathan Eovaldi doesn’t see action out of the bullpen tonight, he’s slated to be Boston’s Game 4 starter.