Storylines to follow for the World Series

David Freese's magic

The Dodgers added Freese from the Pirates late in the year, not only as veteran leadership but also for his ability to hit lefties and his playoff experience. As baseball fans will remember, he was the hero for the Cardinals during the 2011 playoffs and also came up with a big home run during the NLCS. He has an impressive .883 OPS for his career in the playoffs and is likely to get starts vs. Chris Sale and David Price.

How will Boston keep J.D. Martinez in the lineup?

Red Sox manager Alex Cora has already insisted Martinez will stay in the lineup when the Red Sox visit L.A. and don't have the benefit of the DH. Now he just has to figure out how to do so. One option is to move Mookie Betts, a former minor league second baseman, to his old position. Boston likely prefers not to take Jackie Bradley Jr. or Andrew Benintendi off the field.

What will L.A. do at second base?

Brian Dozier was acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline to add a top player at second base, but he's been anything but that. He's played sparingly during the playoffs, but Kike Hernandez has also struggled, just 3-for-26 to this point. Dave Roberts has a big decision to make.

Chris Sale's health

It's not only a stomach ailment that put Sale in the hospital during the ALCS that's a concern but it's also his velocity after recovering from shoulder issues late in the year. He's found a way to pitch effectively in the playoffs despite the lack of velocity, but the Dodgers present another huge challenge.

Clayton Kershaw's playoff history...

Even with playoff success this year and in 2017, there's still a perception in the media that Kershaw struggles in the playoffs. He now has a 4.09 ERA in 141 career innings during the postseason and will be taking the mound in Game 1. He can likely put the concerns to rest for good if he contributes to a World Series win.

...And David Price's playing history

If Kershaw has been subpar during the playoffs, Price has been terrible. He claimed his third ever playoff win in Game 5 of the ALCS but still has an ERA above 5.00 in 85.2 career postseason innings. Like Kershaw, Price has a chance to do away with the playoff criticism.

Yasmani Grandal's struggles behind the plate

Grandal seems worn down in October, as he was last season, and he was booed at home during the NLCS after a series of passed balls. As a result, backup catcher Austin Barnes picked up some playing time. It remains to be seen how Roberts will handle the situation if Grandal continues to struggle.

Craig Kimbrel's playoff woes

Kimbrel came up big in Game 4 of the ALCS but has allowed five earned runs in only 6.1 innings over five appearances during this year's playoffs. The poor performance includes six walks. Boston hopes he's worked out his issues or the Red Sox could be in trouble.

Will Manny Machado cause more controversy?

Machado has a history of shenanigans on the field, and his perceived "dirty" play at first base in which he collided with Milwaukee's Jesus Aguilar in the NLCS was the talk of the series. The Dodgers probably hope his play at the plate is more of the story in the World Series in what could be his swan song in L.A. before offseason free agency.

L.A.'s shutdown bullpen

The Dodgers bullpen has been nothing short of spectacular so far during the postseason. Pedro Baez, Dylan Floro, Caleb Ferguson and Kenley Jansen have each thrown six scoreless appearances, and Ryan Madson has allowed just one run in his seven appearances. Roberts has an embarrassment of riches heading into the World Series.