Los Angeles Dodgers vs Tampa Bay Rays: Who Will Win The World Series?
This MLB Postseason has been nothing but epic. Amazing games, upsets, Cinderella runs, star-studded matchups, amazing catches, walk off shots, elimination games, and much more. This whole “no season strike” to 60-game season with no fans and expanded playoff format with a bubble is definitely nothing that MLB fans/players will soon forget.
With all of the craziness that 2020 has brought, the World Series matchup has ended up exactly as expected: the Tampa Bay Rays vs. the experienced Los Angeles Dodgers. Here is a breakdown of the teams coming into the Fall Classic, what to expect from each team, and who I think will ultimately come out on top:
Tampa Bay Rays
Small market fans rise up! This team has the third smallest team payroll in baseball at $23,478,635 (according to Spotrac) compared to a $107,917,397 Brinks truck of a payroll for LA. Yes, the Dodgers current team salary is 4.6 times that of Tampa Bay. The Rays are defying all odds and are showing that team continuity, togetherness, and everyone doing their part really does work (shoutout to all those Management courses in college).
Coming off a hard-fought series against the MLB’s most hated team, the Houston Astros, in which the Rays had a 3-0 series lead, lost three straight, and managed to skid out a game 7 victory with a score of 4-2, the Rays are confident heading into this upcoming series and are ready to take on the Dodgers.
These Rays are built to receive solid starting and bullpen outings from their pitching so the offense can do just enough to win the ballgame.
Let’s start with the game 7 hero, Charlie Morton, who yielded two hits in 5 and 2/3 innings (both hits in the first inning) giving the Rays the boost they needed to come out on top in a hard-fought series and giving Tampa their first AL pennant since ’08. Throughout the entire 2020 Postseason, Morton has posted a 2-2 record with a 4.74 ERA.
Regular season lefty ace Blake Snell has also been 2-2 in this Postseason with a 3.24 ERA himself. They have gotten solid starting from the aforementioned Morton, Snell, and Tyler Glasnow (plus a little late inning relief from Glasnow as well).
The bullpen has continued to be the backbone of this squad with Jose Alvarado tossing a couple solid innings, Diego Castillo being steady, Pete Fairbanks/ John Curtiss both throwing 4.1 innings with a 2.08 ERA apiece, and are hopeful that the AL’s best closer Nick Anderson will turn around his rocky Postseason. If the pitching can continue their overall success in the World Series the Rays will be in good shape to be raising the Commissioner’s Trophy next week.
Tampa Bay does not have the offensive firepower that the star studded Los Angeles Dodgers do.
Their offense is headlined by the current favorite for 2020’s Postseason MVP Randy Arozarena posting a .321 BA and 4 timely homeruns in the ALCS who not only brings the boom at the plate but the energy to the dugout. First baseman Ji-Man Choi also has been an integral part of this offense as well hitting a very respectable .385 with a homerun in the series against Houston.
Catcher Mike Zunino was quite the surprise over the last week with his .278 batting average in 18 at-bats and 2 long balls as well. Hunter Renfroe, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Manuel Margot and Willy Adames also had timely in the ALCS, too.
If guys like the defensive superstar Kevin Kiermaier (pending health), Joey Wendle, and Yandy Diaz can continue to contribute and perform as they can, this Rays offense could be scary and could do just enough to help this team in winning their first ever World Championship.
Los Angeles Dodgers
For the third time in the last four years, the LA Dodgers are back in the Fall Classic. They had the best record in the Majors again this year (43-17), and are just simply the team to beat. They have the experience, overcame the 60-game season, and have proven again that they are the class of the NL. Is this finally their year?
Manager Dave Roberts said that it definitely is after coming back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS and I 100% agree with him. The 6 time World Champions haven’t won since the Orel Hershiser lead 1988 squad and are hungry to add another trophy to the Championship case after losing in two of the last three years (one being the year of the Houston scandal).
This team is very deep. Anyone can hit the ball out of the yard at any given moment, and each pitcher in the rotation/bullpen has nasty stuff. This team really is the best thing money can buy (as referenced above at the beginning of the Rays section). Will this be enough to get it done?
Pitching wise, the Dodgers will lean on the arms that have gotten them to this point. Postseason ace Walker Buehler just tossed a solid 11.0 innings in the series against the Braves with a 0.82 ERA.
Is this finally superstar ace Clayton Kershaw’s time to shine in the Fall Classic? I am not exactly sure about that as he only threw 5.0 innings in the thriller of a series against the Braves with a 7.20 ERA in those innings and just hasn’t had his regular season stuff again this Postseason.
When talking about LA’s pitching staff, I also have to give a shoutout to game seven hero Julio Urias who entered the game in the seventh inning, in a tie game, and shut down the Braves allowing no runs to cross for the remainder of the game. Aside from Buehler, Kershaw, and Urias, youngsters like Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and newly acquired Brusdar Graterol will play a huge part in determining the end result of this series. There is also hope that Kenley Jansen, Jake McGee, Victor Gonzales, and the rest of the bullpen can pick up any slack left behind from the starters and keep this offense in the game.
There is no other way to put it, this LA lineup is flat out scary. Mookie Betts has been playing lights out not only at the dish, but also in the field. Cody Bellinger may have only hit .200 over the last seven games, but his hits have been timely (game seven winning homerun) and we all know what the former MVP can do at the plate. NLCS MVP Corey Seager has continued his regular season domination throughout this weird year and is well on his was to win the Postseason MVP. Adding the steady third baseman Justin Turner, Joc Pederson, Max Muncy, and Enrique Hernandez to the mix only benefits this offense and makes the lineup one through nine stacked all the way through with no guaranteed outs.
World Series Prediction: The LA Dodgers
As I said earlier, this team is just too good. The Rays will score some runs, but I just don’t think that they can keep up with the Dodgers. Dodgers in 6.
