Imagine you pay for a movie starring Clint Eastwood and Robert Redford. It’s being advertised as an epic.

You plunk down your hard-earned money and go to the theater to see it.

After the first act, both characters are killed off and the leads are now played by Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Hart.

You have been cheated.

That’s what it’s like watching baseball these days.

The epic matchup of Chris Sale versus Clayton Kershaw quickly turned into Pedro Baez versus Ryan Brasier. It’s as if managers are deliberately putting themselves in a jam just to see if they can maneuver out of it.

It backfired immediately for both teams. Matt Barnes replaced Chris Sale with a 3-2 lead after a really bad call turned a 3-2 strikeout into a walk. A single, a wild pitch, and a ground out later, it was tied.

In the bottom of the same inning, Clayton Kershaw, the ace of the staff, one of the top five pitchers in baseball, gave up a walk and a single. He was immediately yanked for Ryan Madson. Four batters later, the Red Sox led 5-3.  All five runs were credited to Kershaw. A guy making $32 million dollars a year wasn’t allowed to get out of his own jam in the fifth inning.

Pitiful.

The Red Sox bullpen out pitched the Dodgers bullpen, and Boston took Game 1 by the score of 8-4.

Today’s marquee matchup is Hyun Rua against David Price.

If you want to see it, don’t blink.

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TODAY’S GAME:
(Time listed is Eastern)