World Series Game 3: Bet On Elite Pitching From The TB Rays

• With the World Series tied 1-1, the Los Angeles Dodgers are -150 odds favorites to win Game 3 behind the arm of Walker Buehler.
• The Tampa Bay Rays have an ace of their own on the mound in Charlie Morton, but are only getting +130 moneyline odds to take the lead in the series.
• Morton is 5-0 in postseason starts with the Rays, while Buehler just went six innings with zero earned runs against the Atlanta Braves.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The World Series is where the best players in the game of baseball cement their legacy.

While 2020 has certainly been a year to forget for many reasons, this year’s World Series features some of the best starting pitching talent in recent history.

When the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays clash in their next game, many will tune in to see powerful hitters like Cody Bellinger and Randy Arozarena or dynamic fielders like Mookie Betts and Kevin Kiermaier.

However, Friday night’s Game 3 matchup will see two of the most elite arms currently in the MLB go head-to-head: Walker Buehler and Charlie Morton.

Current odds have the Dodgers moneyline favorites behind the arm of Buehler via the major online sportsbooks.

While the hitting has been electric through two games thus far in the Fall Classic, Game 3 is shaping up to be a cerebral war between pitchers. In order to find an edge, baseball bettors should take some time to analyze both of these young flamethrowers.

Walker Buehler

While the baseball world at large is quite familiar with big names like Clayton Kershaw, most LA Dodger fans will profess that it is Walker Buehler who they trust most to get a win.

Buehler began his career with the Dodgers in 2017 after being drafted in 2015 from the pitching factory known as Vanderbilt University. In 2018, he put together a 2.62 ERA across 23 starts, finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He earned his first all-star bid in 2019 where he threw two complete games and struck out 215 batters on the year.

In this short 2020 season, Buehler earned a 3.44 ERA and a career-best 0.955 ERA en route to the Dodgers having the best record in baseball.

While all these stats are great, they don’t show the pure brass that Buehler has displayed in clutch moments.

Down 3-2 to the Braves in the NLCS, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts turned to Buehler in a pivotal Game 6. Buehler managed to last six full innings on 89 pitches, and got out of a crucial bases-loaded, no outs jam in the second.

In just his short career, that game marked Buehler’s third playoff start with that type of performance.

Walker Buehler had his 3rd career postseason start with at least 6 IP and 0 runs allowed, tied with Clayton Kershaw for the most in Dodgers history.

The only starters with more in the last 20 seasons are Madison Bumgarner (6), Justin Verlander (5) and John Lackey (4) pic.twitter.com/bPoPk5c16j

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 17, 2020

The Rays will have their hands full with Buehler, but send their own counterpart to the mound in Charlie Morton.

Charlie Morton

Morton has been around the block in the MLB, playing for four teams since 2007 before finding himself on the Rays in 2019.

It is rare to see a 36-year old journeyman pitcher finding his best stuff at this stage in his career, but that is exactly the situation that Tampa Bay finds themselves in with Morton.

In last year’s full season, Morton threw for a 3.05 ERA across 30 starts and 194 innings. That was the most innings pitches in his career attached to the lowest ERA of his career at the ripe age of 35.

Most surprisingly, Morton’s most important stat is his 5-0 postseason badge in starts for the Rays. Whereas younger arms like Buehler might feel the pressure, Morton takes each situation with a calm demeanor.

“He’s definitely a postseason stud,” said Kevin Cash, the Rays manager. “Our entire team and organization feels really, really good when we know that we’re lined up, and the next day, we’ve got Charlie on the mound. The track record speaks for itself, but I think it’s the approach and the demeanor that he takes. You don’t see any difference. You don’t see any anxiety. It’s very much a been-there-done-that approach.”

Morton started Game 7 against the Houston Astros in the ALCS, going 5 2/3 scoreless innings to eventually earn the win and send his team to the World Series.

It is a face-off between two immovable objects in Friday’s World Series Game 3, but only one team, and one pitcher, will get the win.