Red Sox are more likely to beat...

The Red Sox are more likely to beat:

  • Brewers

    Votes: 52 58.4%
  • Dodgers

    Votes: 7 7.9%
  • Doesn’t matter as they’d be equally challenging

    Votes: 30 33.7%

  • Total voters
    89

Ferm Sheller

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Mar 5, 2007
20,404
Who should I root for to win tonight if all I care about is an easier opponent for the Sox (and not any other reason)?
 

SemperFidelisSox

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May 25, 2008
31,083
Boston, MA
Everyone will say Milwaukee because of their rotation, but that bullpen is dominant. If Game 6 was the beginning of their offense getting hot and not just an outlier, they become very difficult to beat.
 

allmanbro

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Jul 19, 2005
362
Portland, Maine
They are very close, but that Brewers bullpen has to run out of gas eventually, right? They've thrown a ton of innings, but especially a ton of high stress innings in the last three weeks or so, from that awesome stretch run, though game 163 and into the playoffs. So I guess I lean Brewers mostly just because I see them as more volatile.
 

Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat

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A bullpen game only works if the first couple of guys can hold down the offense. As the A's showed in the WC game, failure to do so pretty much seals their fate. The Sox have been great at getting out to early leads, and I see no reason why this will stop. This is going to put an incredible amount of stress on the Brewers' bullpen. The Dodgers have some starters who, in theory can give them some length. Give me the weak starting pitching any day.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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Nov 17, 2010
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Everyone will say Milwaukee because of their rotation, but that bullpen is dominant. If Game 6 was the beginning of their offense getting hot and not just an outlier, they become very difficult to beat.
I just wish the Sox could beat good bullpens just once during these playoffs...
 

chawson

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Aug 1, 2006
4,660
I think there are more Brewers hitters I’d be comfortable with Cora throwing Kelly/Hembree/Workman at than there are Dodgers.

That Dodgers lineup is death on RHP, which makes it a lot scarier to dip too deep in our bullpen of mediocrity beyond Barnes/Brasier/Kimbrel.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
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Dec 22, 2002
21,588
I don't think it matters but the Dodgers hitters are more likely to draw a walk. I'd think our bullpen would fair better against the Brewers.
 

Brianish

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Dec 11, 2008
5,556
Root for Milwaukee because then there is a non-zero chance that I could see a Red Sox World Series game in person.
 

koufax32

He'll cry if he wants to...
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Dec 8, 2006
9,092
Duval
LAD rotation has the ability to shut down offenses for long stretches. MIL bullpen does so in short stretches.
Give me MIL.
 

TeddyBallgame9

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Jul 14, 2005
599
Ringgold, GA
Living in LA I'd love to see Red Sox vs Dodgers as I've been hoping for that since I moved here in '91. So tonight I'll be rooting for the Dodgers to win an exciting 17 inning game in which Kershaw pitches the last 6 innings. Who's the better match up for the Sox? I think it's a toss up.
 

OurF'ingCity

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Apr 22, 2016
8,469
New York City
If there is a consistent theme among many of the World Series winners over the last decade or so, it is that their bullpen has gotten hot at exactly the right time even if it wasn't phenomenal during the year. The Red Sox fall into this category this year, and I think the Brewers do too. So I think I'd actually rather see the Dodgers despite the fact that their offense is better - in many ways the Dodgers are a similar team to the Astros, and the Sox just showed they could handle a team like that (high-powered offense, good starts, ok bullpen) just fine.

Put another way, on paper the Dodgers are clearly more challenging, but I think that is offset by the not insignificant risk that the Brewers' bullpen just continues its hot streak and utterly shuts the Sox down.
 

shaggydog2000

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Apr 5, 2007
11,482
4 out of 9 of the Brewers playoff games have been started by Wade Miley. Almost half! Wade Miley, do you remember that guy? Because he hasn't gotten any better since leaving Boston. I'd so much rather face him than Kershaw, Ryu, or Hill. Sure, maybe they've gotten this far by overusing their good bullpen, but there is only so long you can whip a mule.
 

santadevil

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Aug 1, 2006
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I'd rather see the Brewers, because I'm not much of a Dodgers fan.
I like Roberts, but my hate for Machado has grown substantially since last week.

Kershaw is a great pitcher, Max Muncy is a good story, but Machado can eat of bag of dicks.

Also, last week we finally brought our minor ball program under one team name, which will be the Brewers, because that and the Yankees seem like the only team names that are never used.
I was the main driving force behind this change and I love the old MB glove logo
 

Al Zarilla

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Dec 8, 2005
58,867
San Andreas Fault
4 out of 9 of the Brewers playoff games have been started by Wade Miley. Almost half! Wade Miley, do you remember that guy? Because he hasn't gotten any better since leaving Boston. I'd so much rather face him than Kershaw, Ryu, or Hill. Sure, maybe they've gotten this far by overusing their good bullpen, but there is only so long you can whip a mule.
Remember what Rick Porcello said though, he’s OK walking around with a sore arm for three months as long as there’s a ring on his finger. Now I’ll be walking around all day trying to remember any pitchers that had to give up in the World Series for an injury. Clemens “paper cut.”
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
53,837
Brewers have a great pen, but we just beat the Astros...so, yeah.

Both are cool stories---Sox/Dodgers is a classic teams matchup. Sox/Brewers will give Sox a chance at beating Coors/Busch/Miller beers.
 

HriniakPosterChild

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Jul 6, 2006
14,841
500 feet above Lake Sammammish
Remember what Rick Porcello said though, he’s OK walking around with a sore arm for three months as long as there’s a ring on his finger. Now I’ll be walking around all day trying to remember any pitchers that had to give up in the World Series for an injury. Clemens “paper cut.”
David Wells had to leave the mound in Miami in 03 due to back pain. IIRC, he’d been signing copies of his recently published book that day, How to Make Millions as a Big League Pitcher, Even if You’re Morbidly Obese.

Torre was not smiling when he made the pitching change.
 

staz

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Dec 2, 2004
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The cradle of the game.
Dodgers are more experienced on the big stage and might have a little more focus, having lost last year. Thinking Sox coaches would rather face the quirky upstarts - and they've probably found weaknesses in Hader's game already.
 

nvalvo

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Jul 16, 2005
21,478
Rogers Park
I think the Dodgers are better on paper, but I think we probably matchup better against them.

The Brewers are weird.

I voted "Doesn't Matter." I think we should be moderate to heavy favorites against either team. We just beat the pre-season consensus best team in baseball in five games without any real contribution from Chris Sale.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
72,428
Brewers probably have a much better HFA with 1) the roof 2) the better fans and 3) less % of Red Sox fans in WI than Socal.
 

PedraMartina

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Jul 19, 2005
80
Los Angeles
I think the numbers 194 and 95 answer the question. The former—the Dodgers’ regular season run differential—is 12 better than the Yankees (and beats all AL teams other than BOS/HOU). The latter—the Brewers’ regular season run differential—is between the Rays and the As (closer to the Rays). All necessary caveats re: quality of opposition, how they’re playing now, etc., but that is a pretty stark difference between the two teams, and has me rooting for the Brewers tonight even though I can see Dodgers Stadium from my office window.