LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers We went ahead 2-0 World Series He rose to the leadership by winning the first two matches at home. Yankees‘ the attack was almost completely stopped Yoshinobu Yamamoto In the 2nd Match, which also included the fear of injury Shohei Ohtani after being caught stealing second base in the seventh inning.

Here are our top four takeaways from the Dodgers: 4-2 Win Saturday.

1. Aaron Judge’s disappearance

It’s extremely hard to believe that without the MVP version of Judge, the Yankees will be able to win this World Series, let alone go even further. For the second straight day, the Dodgers’ starting pitcher completely neutralized Umpire’s bat. Game 1 start Jack Flaherty and Game 2 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto combined to strike out Hakim five times in six innings, not allowing him to reach base. Yamamoto looked particularly confident against the player who posted the highest OPS (1.159) in baseball this season.

Judge is now 1-for-9 with six strikeouts in the Fall Classic. He is 6-for-40 this postseason with 19 hits to go along with just two home runs and six RBIs. In a matter of weeks, he went from being the best hitter in the universe to waving off-speed pitches like he was an automatic out.

The Yankees had a hard time publicly admitting that Umpire was missing the postseason pitches he would normally have reached. Whether it was the long layoff before the playoffs began or the break between the ALCS and the World Series, it seems entirely plausible that the lack of daily at-bats and games might have disrupted the Umpire’s timing. So he finally broke out with star closer Emmanuel Clase with a game-tying two-run home run against the Guardians in Game 3 of the ALCS. If Judge needs time to warm up, then Serial could have a big week ahead of him when he heads to the Bronx on Monday. With a championship at stake, the Yankees’ only chance is to hope that’s the case. —Deesha Thosar

2. It’s time to give Tommy Edman its flowers

Turns out Edman’s MVP performance against the Mets in the Dodgers’ NLCS was no fluke. Los Angeles’ Swiss army knife has picked up where he left off, going 4-for-8 with two home runs and an RBI in the World Series so far. His final trick was a solo shot to left field off Carlos Rodón in the second inning to get the Dodgers on the board.

Edman hadn’t even played this season when Andrew Friedman traded for him this summer. The Dodgers needed an infielder because they knew they didn’t want to play at that time. Mookie Bets now he’s at centre-back, taking that into account Gavin Luxury and Kiké Hernandez are no ordinary actors. There was real risk in adding him as a lone position player at the deadline. No one knew how Edman would play after offseason wrist surgery, including setbacks in spring training. While his performance in August and September was helpful, Edman had a huge performance for the Dodgers in October.

Not only does he get on the field, the former Gold Glover also transitions seamlessly from game to game between centre-back and midfield. Even though his name isn’t mentioned often on a team full of superstars, he’s a huge coup for the Dodgers and could be a huge factor in them winning it all. – Tosar

3. The Carlos Rodón roller coaster continues

given lefty’s postseason turmoil, Yankees there was Knowing there’s a good chance Rodón will unravel like he did on Saturday. Aaron Boone and the Yankees’ decision-makers are as much responsible for this poor state of affairs as the left-hander. Rodón took the mound for Game 2 this October, having surrendered seven earned runs in three previous playoff starts (14.1 innings). He spiraled in the ALDS against the Royals, then corrected course in his ALCS debut, but struggled again to get a solid finish against Cleveland.

In the third inning on Saturday, Edman gave up a home run to Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández and tied the game in the fourth.

(RELATING TO: Complete coverage of the World Series)

The up-and-down nature of Rodón’s postseason proved problematic as New York lost Game 1 to Los Angeles. More than anything, the Yankees needed a reliable starter who would give them the best chance of returning to the Bronx with the franchise. This made right-hander Clarke Schmidt the superior option for Game 2; Not only because he was more consistent on the road than Rodón, who pitched better at home, but also because the Dodgers hit lefties so well. Why take this chance when you have the Yankees? there was To get even?

Beyond the team’s fault, Rodón’s inability to step onto the sport’s biggest stage was a major blow to the Yankees. Nights like Saturday are why they signed him to a six-year, $162 million deal ahead of the 2023 season. Staying healthy all year, taking innings and making quality starts in half of the 32 games that ace Gerrit Cole missed the first two months of the season with an elbow injury has been invaluable. His inconsistency since then made him a questionable choice to start Saturday in the first place, and now the Yankees are in a potentially insurmountable 0-2 hole. – Tosar

4. A potentially costly loss in victory

The commanding 2-0 lead in the series did not come without a potentially significant cost, as the Dodgers roster, already ravaged by injuries, may have taken the biggest hit.

Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani suffered a subluxation in his left shoulder when he was caught stealing in the seventh inning. Roberts was encouraged by initial strength and range of motion tests and said he “expects himself to be in the lineup” but won’t know more until scans are completed.

“Obviously any of your players going down is concerning,” Roberts said. “But after some range of motion and strength testing, I feel much better.”

Dodgers players seemed unaware of the severity of the injury after the game. Ohtani left the stadium immediately following the game and was unavailable to provide an update. But based on early testing, Roberts believes Ohtani could be played as the series moves to New York.

“I expect him to be there,” Roberts said.

Ohtani was caught stealing only four times during the regular season while recording 59 stolen bases, but he was caught stealing in both of his postseason attempts. —Rowan Kavner

Deesha Tosar He is FOX Sports’ MLB reporter. He previously covered the Mets as a reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow him on Twitter: @DeeshaThosar.

Rowan Kavner He is FOX Sports’ MLB writer. He previously covered the LA Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU graduate, Rowan was born in California, raised in Texas, and moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at: @RowanKavner.

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