The Rays credited the baseball gods for their victory over the Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series, but those otherworldly forces deserted them in Game 5.
After 31 long years, the Dodgers are on the verge of finally putting seemingly countless October failures behind them in exchange for World Series glory.Pluck, home run power and a deep bullpen have carried the Rays this far. They’ll need those ingredients and more Tuesday to prolong the World Series to a Game 7 on Wednesday.
“We always feel like we’re in it until that last out is made. Unfortunately we just didn’t have it tonight,” center fielder Kevin Kiermaier said. “We had our opportunities. First and third, no outs, and we’ve got to figure out a better way of squeaking across at least one run right there. But this is what happens when you face a really good team with really good pitching.
“We haven’t been swinging the bats the way we want to, collectively, throughout the past however many games, but we’re always trying to hit in those timely situations and we didn’t do that tonight. Just didn’t have enough baserunners on base the whole game to put the pressure on them and create some momentum for ourselves and move base to base. We need to do a better job and figure it out for Game 6.”There’s not much time and not much they can change.
“I’m always confident with this bunch. We’ve had good bounce-back wins the whole year and they were better tonight,” Kiermaier said. “They put the pressure on us early and we couldn’t get a whole lot going there offensively. They just had a couple more big hits than us, scored a few more runs obviously, and that was the difference maker.
“But if there’s any team who can respond well with their backs against the wall in a sense, knowing what’s at stake — we’re in a situation now where it’s win or go home — our group is the group to come through when we need it the most.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Photos: Dodgers lose to Rays in Game 4 of the World SeriesPhotos from Game 4 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Read more »
Dodgers vs. Rays World Series Game 5 lineups: Cody Bellinger returns to center fieldCody Bellinger will be back in center field for Game 5 of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays after back tightness kept him from playing in the field in Game 4.
Read more »