Blake Snell was unhittable early and Brandon Lowe went deep twice to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-4 victory in Game 2 and even up the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at a game apiece.
Now, total bettors are licking their chops as we get the best pitching matchup of the Fall Classic in Game 3 as Walker Buehler toes the rubber against Charlie Morton.
We break down the baseball odds with our best Dodgers vs, Rays picks and predictions for Game 3 on Friday, October 23 (8:09 p.m. ET).
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Tampa Bay Rays betting preview
Odds to Win Series
Dodgers: -200
Rays: +170
Starting Pitchers
Walker Buehler RHP (1-0, 1.89 ERA) vs Charlie Morton RHP (3-0, 0.57 ERA)
Buehler has been dealing with blister issues for much of the season, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by the way he is pitching this postseason. In fact, he looks to be getting better with each start. The right-hander has allowed more than one earned run just once in his four postseason outings, and that was in Game 1 of the Wild Card round against the Brewers—where he gave up two.
Enter “Big Game” Charlie. Morton has continued to build his resume as one of the best postseason pitchers ever, allowing just one earned run over his first three starts this year. And the Dodgers know all about his big-game experience: Morton limited L.A. to one run in 10 1-3 innings during the 2017 World Series, including pitching the final four innings of Game 7 to clinch the title.
Weather
There is a small chance for rain in Arlington on Friday, so the roof could be closed for Game 3. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
First Five Inning Total Pick
Yes, Buehler has looked better and better with each start. The right-hander is coming off an impressive performance against the Braves in Game 6 of the NLCS, in which he shut them out over six innings on seven hits and struck out six with no walks.
Buehler now owns a 1.89 ERA, is limiting opponents to a .208 batting average and has racked up 29 punchouts over 19 postseason innings. He faces a Rays team that, while opportunistic, fails to hit for a good average.
On the other side, Morton continues to perform at the highest level when it matters the most. The righty has pitched to an incredible 0.57 ERA this postseason to go along with a 0.96 WHIP and is limiting opposing hitters to a .190 average.
While the Dodgers have a stacked lineup, they can struggle against elite pitching, and nobody is more elite at this time of the year than Morton. Pitching will be the story early on in this one.
PREDICTION: Under 3.5 (+107)
Side Pick
The Rays got a big boost from Lowe in Game 2, as his two home runs and three RBIs fueled the Rays win. Lowe has been an important part of the Rays offense for the last season and a half, but he was in one hell of a slump prior to Game 2, hitting just .107 while striking out in nearly a third of his plate appearances this postseason.
But that’s the thing with the Rays. Their offense is very streaky and is very reliant on the long ball. It was Randy Arozarena carrying the offense earlier in the postseason and now that he’s cooled off a bit, someone else will have to step up for the remainder of the playoffs. Can that be Lowe?
Well, first of all, getting those home runs will be much tougher against Buehler than it was against Dustin May & Co. Since the start of 2018, Buehler is allowing 0.98 home runs per nine innings and he has dropped that to 0.93 during this postseason.
Expect Charlie Morton to have success in this game, but the Dodgers can just hurt you with so many guys, whereas it’s more of a crapshoot with the Rays. The depth and talent of the Dodgers lineup should show in the later stages of this game.
PREDICTION: Dodgers (-155)
Total Strikeouts Prop Pick
Baseball purists are going to love watching these two stud starting pitchers go toe-to-toe in this one, and what can make that even better is a prop bet. My favorite for this game is for Morton to go Over his strikeout total of 5.5.
Now, I don’t think Morton is going to fly over this number, but he should be able to get the job done. Morton averaged just about 10 strikeouts per nine innings this season and has racked up 17 in 15 2-3 innings of work this postseason. So, the 5.5 number is pretty close to right on the mark.
But the reason to like the Over is that the Dodgers have been swing happy so far in the World Series. During the regular season, the Dodgers were one of the most disciplined teams in the MLB when it came to strikeouts, but they have been wrung up 26 times in the first two games of this series. With Morton pitching better than he has all year, take the Over.
PREDICTION: Charlie Morton Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-115)
Dodgers vs Rays betting card
- Under 3.5 First Five Innings (+107)
- Dodgers (-155)
- Charlie Morton Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-115)
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