Dodgers defeat Yankees to take commanding 3-0 lead

Freddie Freeman hit a home run for the third straight game and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday, taking a 3-0 lead in the World Series.

Walker Buehler got the start and won for the Dodgers, striking out five over five shutout innings.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything more from Walker tonight,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “There are certain players … that just really thrive in the postseason.”

The Yankees’ offensive struggles continued after Walker exited, as they couldn’t get going until they were down to their final out. Alex Verdugo hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning to cut the deficit in half, but Gleyber Torres grounded out to end the game on the next at bat.

Freeman hit a two-run homer to start the scoring in Game 3. He brought home Shohei Ohtani, who opened the night with a leadoff walk.

Los Angeles later added two insurance runs by playing some old-school National League baseball.

Mookie Betts hit an RBI single in the top of the third that scored Tommy Edman, who walked and moved to second thanks to an Ohtani grounder.

In the sixth, Kiké Hernández brought home Gavin Lux with a bloop single to right. Lux made it to second after he was hit by a pitch and stole a bag.

New York continues to have issues scoring. The Yankees haven’t recorded more than three runs in a single game in the World Series, which isn’t going to cut it against a high-powered Dodgers lineup.

Aaron Judge, the American League MVP favorite, still hasn’t found his swing. After going hitless in three at bats on Monday, Judge has only one hit in 12 at-bats against Los Angeles, a .083 batting average.

Giancarlo Stanton was a bright spot for an otherwise dull offense, as he had two of New York’s five hits.

Ohtani played despite injuring his left shoulder in Game 2. He didn’t have a hit in three at-bats.

“We have just got to stay focused, stay urgent,” Roberts said postgame of his team’s World Series chances. “Offensively, to be quite honest, we left a lot of runs out there tonight and still found a way win a ball game. There’s got to be urgency. I don’t want to let these guys up for air.”

Game 4 is on Tuesday, and the Yankees’ offense will have to wake up if they want to avoid a sweep.

“We’re trying to get a game tomorrow. That’s where our focus lies,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said postgame. “Hopefully we can go be this amazing story and shock the world, but right now it’s about trying to get a lead, trying to grab a game and force another one and then on from there. But we got to grab one first.”