5 storylines to watch as World Series shifts to Bronx

Now that everyone’s back on the East Coast, we head into a pivotal Game 3 that will tell us whether the Dodgers have this thing in the bag … or whether we have a whole new series.

Here are the five biggest storylines heading into Monday night’s showdown at Yankee Stadium.

World Series Game 3: Dodgers at Yankees (LAD up 2-0)
8:08 p.m. ET, FOX
SP: Walker Buehler (LAD) vs. Clarke Schmidt (NYY)

1. What percentage of Ohtani are we getting?

When Ohtani slid awkwardly into second base in the seventh inning of Game 2, it was clear that his left shoulder was in a lot of pain. The whole baseball world held its breath. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said his shoulder was “subluxated,” which the doctors on the Internet have told me is a partial dislocation – better than a total separation but still is not great.

“If he feels good enough to go I see no reason he wouldn’t be in there,” Roberts said during a press conference Sunday.

So that’s certainly good news! But still: Shoulders are pretty important. For all the storylines heading into this series, Ohtani, the game’s most famous and perhaps best player, having the opportunity to lead the Dodgers to a World Series title may have been the biggest one. Now we’re just hoping he still looks like himself. Is he actually anywhere close to 100%? We should find out immediately, given that Ohtani will be the first batter of the game if he’s in the starting lineup.

2. Can Judge change the narrative — and the series?

There is no clutch gene. We know this by now, right? Judge is not shrinking under the postseason lights, he’s not somehow low on True Yankee points, he’s not a choker — all of that is ridiculous. That is not how the world works, let alone something as difficult as baseball. But it’s fair to say that if Judge doesn’t snap out of this slump soon, the Yankees may well get swept in this series, and there will be a whole offseason of people asking why their superstar slugger vanished in the postseason — again. Even Judge himself knows he has to “step up.”

Judge’s numbers are downright gruesome: He’s now 6-for-40 this postseason, including 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. That includes 1-for-9 with six strikeouts in the World Series, when he has whiffed on 14 of the 24 swings he’s taken (58.3%). Everything about Judge’s timing seems off right now: He’s flailing at breaking pitches and way behind on fastballs — an ominous combination. We’ve seen Judge go through stretches like this, and then he’ll break out of it and seemingly hit two homers a game for a week. But he, and the Yankees, are running out of time.

3. How much rope will Buehler get?

Remember when we were all worried about the Dodgers’ rotation, how its issues were going to wear out its knockout bullpen? Suddenly the Dodgers look like the 1990s Braves out there. In Game 1, Jack Flaherty threw one pitch that Giancarlo Stanton launched deep into the night but was otherwise outstanding. In Game 2, Yamamoto gave up only one hit in 6 1/3 innings. The Dodgers’ relief corps, coming off Sunday’s off-day, is as rested as it could possibly be heading into Game 3.

But considering the Dodgers are likely going with a bullpen game in Game 4, that could change quickly if Buehler looks more like the 2024 NLDS (and regular season) version of himself than the NLCS version. Even Buehler’s best start this postseason (and probably regular season, too), the Dodgers’ 8-0 Game 3 win over the Mets, only went four innings. But Buehler was terrific in that start, striking out six and giving up no runs and just three hits. They’d obviously take that again. But all told, with that bullpen game looming, some length would be helpful. Put it this way: If Buehler leaves the game with the Dodgers in the lead, he’ll have done his job.

4. Can Yankee Stadium provide a desperately needed boost?

When the first pitch is thrown on Monday, it will have been exactly 5,473 days since Yankee Stadium last hosted a World Series game. If someone was born the night the Yankees beat the Phillies to win the 2009 World Series, they’ll be eligible to get their driver’s license next year. It’s fair to say: Yankees fans have been waiting for this for a while. It’s also fair to say they didn’t expect, after waiting this long, that they’d welcome their team back facing a 2-0 deficit.

The Yankees are coming back to the Bronx limping, frustrated and having burned their best two starting pitchers, which was ostensibly supposed to be their advantage this series. Their best chance to regain control is to have Yankee Stadium, and those fans, do their thing for the next three days. The Yankees need to feel like the Yankees again. The Bronx can do that.

5. Will the Dodgers lock down this series?

While there would be a certain amusing symmetry to see the Yankees come back from a 3-0 deficit 20 years after becoming the only team to ever blow a 3-0 lead, it’s certainly not something any Yankees fan should be counting on. The fact is, the Dodgers, with a win on Monday, can take total control of this series and make its result a fait accompli.

The Dodgers’ postseason struggles have become an ongoing plotline for a decade now, but the first two games of this series have made that all seem like ancient history. If they can figure out a way to win Game 3, just one little game, this series will for all intents and purposes be over. Put it this way: Yankee Stadium for Game 4 will be a lot quieter if the Dodgers win this one.