Three Up, Three Down: The MLB hot/cold report

Boston continues its dominance

After making somewhat easy work of both the 100-win Yankees and the 103-win Astros, the Red Sox have steamrolled into the World Series as big-time favorites against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sure enough, the early portion of this year's Fall Classic has played out as expected, as the Red Sox have jumped out to a 2-0 lead after picking up a pair of impressive victories at Fenway Park.

Boston continued to win the same way it's done all season: simply by excelling in all facets of the game. The hitting remains solid, as evidenced by the fact that J.D. Martinez, Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts continue to produce at the plate as they've done all year. The pitching has been excellent as well, as David Price delivered a great start in Game 2 and continued to shed his label of playoff choker.

The Red Sox even ran the bases well, as Mookie Betts stole a base in the first inning and ended that Taco Bell promotion in what had to have been record time. To top it all off, Craig Kimbrel wasn't shaky at all and looked like the dominant closer that we have all gotten used to seeing. Simply put, the Red Sox are firing on all cylinders at exactly the right time, and that means that the Dodgers' 30-year wait for a World Series title might be extended to 31 years by the end of this week.

Mookie Betts puts in extra work after the game

The presumptive AL MVP hasn't just been getting it done on the field. He's actually been doing some great stuff off the field as well. Back in 2015, Mookie Betts and Blake Swihart shared some pizza together. After Swihart suggested that Betts give the remaining pizza to a homeless person so that he would hit two home runs in his next game, it actually happened: He hit two home runs and told the media the story following the game.

It appears that Betts has kept that spirit of giving in his heart. He was recently "caught" giving food to the homeless at 1 a.m. This happened immediately after he helped lead the Red Sox to a victory in Game 2 of the World Series. This time, his story was outed by various people who witnessed him doing the good deed in such a low-key manner that he was wearing a hoodie and basically shied away from taking photos or video of the moment.

It's one thing to be an MVP on the field, but it's another thing to be an MVP off the field. Apparently, Betts has both sides of this thing down, and it's really no wonder why the dynamic outfielder is such a popular figure with the Red Sox and their fans.

Marlins pull off a pair of impressive prospect signings

It's October, and we're talking about the Marlins? What in the world is going on here? As it turns out, the Marlins actually did something good instead of initiating a fire sale or doing the unthinkable and getting rid of the endearingly ugly fish sculpture beyond the center field wall of Marlins Park. Indeed, the Marlins have made a couple of huge signings that could have a very positive effect on their future.

Over the weekend, the team announced it had signed brothers Victor Victor Mesa and Victor Mesa Jr. from Cuba. Both players are talented, but Victor Victor is the real gem. According to MLB Pipeline, he is already the No. 1 prospect for the Marlins, and the 22-year-old could be playing in the big leagues relatively soon. The Marlins could have an exciting prospect on their hands, and that is actually bringing a tiny bit of enthusiasm to the baseball fans in Miami.

A franchise like the Marlins definitely needs to celebrate its wins whenever it can, and this is absolutely a cause for celebration. If these players pan out and reach their potential, then this could be the moment that the Marlins look back on as the point when their rebuild shifted from being a cynical salary dump into being something actually legit. Brighter times are on the horizon.

Three Down

Dodgers fall into a deep hole in World Series

There are only two teams left playing baseball right now, so unfortunately it's going to seem like I'm picking on the Dodgers. They've played and lost the first two games of the World Series against an opponent that has been in juggernaut form all season. It's always rough to go back home in an 0-2 hole, but the manner in which Los Angeles has lost these two games has been concerning.

In Game 1, the Dodgers hung in there with the Red Sox for most of the game, but Boston eventually pulled away when Eduardo Nunez hit a dinger at the expense of Alex Wood. Yes, that's the same Eduardo Nunez who finished the 2018 regular season with a WAR of -0.4, according to FanGraphs. It has to feel like a punch to the gut when arguably the worst player on the opposing team sticks the dagger in your back.

Game 2 actually saw the Dodgers hold a lead, after Yasiel Puig hit a homer in the fourth inning to make it 2-1. Unfortunately for L.A., Hyun-Jin Ryu ran out of gas in the bottom of the fifth inning, and Ryan Madson didn't fare much better in relief. They gave up three runs, which ended up being the difference in the game, and now the Dodgers will have to return home in desperate need of a win in Game 3.

Machado continues to embrace the villain role

Manny Machado has fully embraced the role of villain, and the Red Sox fans played into that narrative as well as they lustily booed him at every turn. Sure enough, Machado also played up to expectations, having a big role in L.A.'s offensive production in each game in Boston. If you're going to be a villain, you've got to at least be good and play well, right?

But you've also got to get in some acts of chicanery whenever you can, and it appears that Machado has been doing just that. The Red Sox are claiming that Machado has been stealing signs during the World Series. Normally if another team has such a claim, then you aren't even being sneaky about it. Stealing signs is not uncommon, but nobody is going to raise a stink about it unless you're just being obvious.

Still, that brings another level of villainy to the legend that Machado has become during this particular postseason. It's obvious that he is embracing the role and is continuing to act out whenever he gets the opportunity. He's also still hitting the ball, though, so you can't really get on him too much for being a heel.

Grandal is having a shocking postseason

The Dodgers did incredibly well to make it back to the World Series, but they've done so this October without any sort of tangible help from Yasmani Grandal. The Dodgers catcher has had a really rough go of things during the playoffs, and it appears as if he's falling deeper and deeper into a hole as the postseason progresses.

Grandal had some awful moments behind the plate during the NLCS, and it got to the point where he was basically benched in favor of Austin Barnes. It doesn't help that he's not doing a good job with the bat either. He's struggling in all facets of the game so much so that when he does get playing time, things go sideways. Even in limited action during the World Series, he's had to deal with wild pitches. It's been a rough ride.

It's a bummer to see a player struggle at this point in the season. It was a theme for Grandal during last postseason, and it's carrying into these playoffs as well. There's not a lot of time left for him to turn things around, but it may come in a new uniform via free agency next season.