Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
It all comes down to this, as the Los Angeles Dodgers will try to earn their first World Series title since 1988 on Tuesday in Game 6 as consensus -138 favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com against the Tampa Bay Rays. If the Rays can pull off the upset as +128 underdogs then there will be a deciding Game 7 on Wednesday.
The Dodgers are coming off a 4-2 victory in Game 5 on Sunday, marking the first time in this series that the total finished UNDER at online betting sites.
The two best teams in baseball this season have both had their moments in the 2020 World Series, and Tampa Bay will again be counting on 27-year-old southpaw Blake Snell (2-2, 3.33 ERA in the playoffs) in a similar spot as Game 2 when he pitched four hitless innings before giving up a pair of runs on two hits in the fifth en route to an eventual 6-4 victory.
The 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner was also aided offensively by second baseman Brandon Lowe, who smashed two home runs in the first five innings to help stake him to a 5-0 lead. Unfortunately for the Rays, Lowe has gone only 1-for-12 with one homer since Game 2.
Los Angeles will counter with Game 2 starter Tony Gonsolin (0-2, 9.39 ERA this postseason) in Game 6, hoping he can bounce back and provide them with at least a few innings of good work. Gonsolin lasted just 1.1 innings in Game 2, surrendering the first home run to Lowe before getting pulled in favor of Dylan Floro.
The Dodgers used a record four different pitchers in the first four innings while Snell was on the mound, but they rebounded to win two of the next three games behind the solid starting pitching of Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw.
If Snell, Lowe and the Rays can force a Game 7, they will most likely face Buehler for the title. The 26-year-old right-hander would figure to give Los Angeles a significant edge considering he has been the team’s ace for the most part in the playoffs.
Buehler pitched six strong innings in Game 3 last Friday, allowing one run and three hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts, extending his MLB record by recording at least six in his 11th straight postseason appearance.
Charlie Morton took the loss for Tampa Bay in Game 3, giving up five runs and seven hits in 4.1 innings with one walk and six strikeouts. It is worth noting that Morton picked up the victory in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series versus the Dodgers as a member of the Houston Astros, pitching the last four innings and allowing one run and two hits with four strikeouts.
The Dodgers head into Game 6 as sizable -550 favorites on the updated World Series odds.
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