Closing time?
Desperate Dodgers aim to stop Blue Jays

FREDDIE Freeman and the Los Angeles Dodgers are plotting a major comeback when they battle the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6 of the World Series on Saturday (Manila time).
VAUGHN RIDLEY/agence france-presse
TORONTO, Canada (AFP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers know they must get their offense firing to resuscitate their bid for a second straight World Series title as the Toronto Blue Jays host Game 6 on Saturday (Manila time) with a chance to clinch their first Major League Baseball crown in 32 years.
“We’ve got to put runs on the board and do a better job,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said.
“And we just haven’t done that for about two and a half games.”
“We all know what we’re capable of and we haven’t done it for two games. So maybe the day off, we’ll cool them down over there and we’ll reignite us.”
Freeman delivered a walk-off home run to give the Dodgers an 6-5 victory in an 18-inning game three epic.
But offensive fireworks have been in short supply for the high-priced, high-octane Dodgers, who then dropped Games 4 and 5 at home.
The Blue Jays, up 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and chasing their first World Series title since back-to-back triumphs in 1992 and 1993, now have a chance to close it out at home.
“I can’t wait,” Toronto manager John Schneider said of the reception he expects at Rogers Centre — where thousands turned out for watch parties for the games played in LA.
“I’m just excited as hell to see what this place is like, the guys are, too.”
Freeman said those Blue Jays fans shouldn’t count the Dodgers out just yet.
“We faced this last year,” he said, recalling the Dodgers faced elimination in the National League division series and won two games in a row.”
“So we can do it again. Baseball is a hard game, and it has been hard for us the last two days. But we’ve been in this situation before like last year, and we can do it again.”
To do so, they will have to step it up at the plate. The Dodgers scored just one run and struck out 12 times against Jays rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage in Game 5.
Shohei Ohtani has had his moments, but he has had precious little backup.
Mookie Betts, hitting .130 in five World Series games and .234 in the postseason, has been unable to make the Blue Jays pay for walking Ohtani.
“I’ve just been terrible,” Betts acknowledged after the Dodgers’ 6-1 Game 5 defeat with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, saying he thinks Betts is “pressing.”
“I think you can see there’s a little anxiousness in there.”
The Dodgers are hoping they at least have a sure thing on the mound in Japanese hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched a four-hit complete game in the Dodgers’ Game 2 triumph.
Yamamoto said he wouldn’t approach the elimination game differently.
“I just don’t feel too much difference,” he said.
