2020 World Series Preview & Prediction

(1) Los Angeles Dodgers -200 vs (1) Tampa Bay Rays +170

After a long, tumultuous season, the 2020 Fall Classic is finally upon us. Months ago, there was doubt that an MLB game would even be played in 2020. Now we are a week away from crowning a champion. That champion will either be the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Tampa Bay Rays. The Dodgers have not won a World Series title since 1988. The Rays are still looking for their first title since their inception in 1998. There are a few similarities with the paths that these teams took to the World Series. Both are 1-seeds. Both had to face playoff opponents with powerful lineups. And both teams won their league pennants in 7 games. The key difference between these teams is how they won those games. The Rays do the small things exceptionally well. They play smart. They play as a team. They are able to win close games. The Dodgers on the other hand throw haymakers every time they take the field… and they usually connect. Why shouldn’t they? Unlike Tampa, they have a roster filled with stars. They have a handful of guys who if they were to swap their Dodgers jersey for a Rays uniform, would become the best player on Tampa’s roster. In my mind the matchup to watch here will be Tampa’s pitching vs Los Angeles’ batting. With a cast of pitchers who can hit the high-90’s on the radar gun, Tampa will look to take some of the boom out of the Dodgers bats. Whether they will do that or not depends on your definition of “success”. Can they keep the scoring low vs a lineup like LA’s? Sure. Will they shut them down completely? No. I doubt it. The Dodgers just have too much fire power for that to happen. But that’s ok. Tampa gave up some runs to the Yankees and still won the series after all. The Dodgers are not the Yankees, however. The Dodgers have the pitching to get them through any temporary struggles at the plate. I will personally be rooting for Tampa Bay, along with all the small-market MLB teams that want Tampa to prove that you can win a title without selling your grandmothers pearls. But I can’t in good conscious advise to bet them, even with the enticing line. The Dodgers just have too much talent to throw at them.

Take Los Angeles -200.

*All odds via Bovada