3 red flags Dodgers fans should be concerned about despite magical Game 1 win

Los Angeles Dodgers Fans couldn’t feel better after Game 1 of the World Series. What at multiple points looked like a deflating loss against the New York Yankees became one of the most instantly iconic victories in Fall Classic history, with lame first baseman Freddie Freeman doing his best Kirk Gibson impression on a exit grand slam in the bottom of the tenth inning. Now Los Angeles is just three wins away from its first full-season title since 1988, with another game at Dodger Stadium up for grabs and the Yankees reeling.

But as incredible as that victory was, the horse is not in the barn yet. There are still three wins and plenty of baseball left to be played, including what is sure to be a daunting trip to a lit-up Yankee Stadium next week. Dave Roberts and company know that now is not the time to stop looking at the prize, and there are some reasons to pause based on how Game 1 played out.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work onThe Baseball Insiders Podcastsubscribe to The shot at the moonour weekly MLB newsletter, and join the fray for insider information from now through the MLB offseason.

Lost in all the endgame heroics? For the most part, the Dodgers struggled at the plate in Game 1, managing two runs before extras that were at least partially helped by the Yankees’ defensive errors. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freeman are still as dangerous as ever, but Los Angeles didn’t have enough from further down the lineup. Names like Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez and Will Smith will have to hit big at some point in this series, because the big three will only take these Dodgers so far. Roster depth was a concern for both teams entering the series, and remains one after one game.

The loss of Evan Phillips already affected the back end of the Dodgers’ bullpen, and now Treinen might finally be faltering a bit. After allowing a home run in the Game 6 victory over the New York MetsThe right-hander gave up what could have been the decisive run in the top of the tenth, and again it was his inability to hold off runners that was to blame, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. hitting a single and then stealing second and third. base before arriving. to score and give New York a 3-2 lead. Roberts won’t have any qualms about turning to Treinen again with the game on the line, nor should he, but if he continues to struggle in this series, suddenly the Dodgers’ circle of trust becomes a lot smaller.

Let’s say this for Roberts: He certainly outplayed his counterpart Aaron Boone in Game 1. But that doesn’t mean he’s completely above criticism: Trying to get more length out of Jack Flaherty and allowing him to take on the top of the Yankees order for third time. Through him, he was gaining greed, and it almost came back to bite his team. This is a lesson that Roberts has yet to somehow learn despite all his postseason experience, and all the previous concerns we had about his bullpen management remain. His stars (and some baffling decisions by Boone) bailed him out in Game 1, but who’s to say the old ghosts won’t return the next time these teams meet in a close game?