MLB

Should the New York Yankees explore an Adam Ottavino trade?

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New York Yankees, Adam Ottavino

One of the New York Yankees biggest issues in 2020 was their bullpen. The all-star bullpen that the team assembled crumbled and led to the Yankees finishing just 33-27 this year.

Adam Ottavino was one of the players who helped contribute to the bullpen struggles. After his outstanding 2019 season, he struggled mightily in 2020. He was 2-3 with a 5.89 ERA in 24 games. Ottavino’s struggles led him to being much of a non-factor at the end of the regular season, as well as the postseason.

That being said, should the Yankees explore a trade for Adam Ottavino? With him being on a relatively cheap contract, they may be able to make a trade work.

Now, after one bad season, it may be jumping the gun just a little bit. However, before 2018, Ottavino hadn’t been a very proven pitcher. He was inconsistent, and his best season just happened to fall on a contract year, leading to him coming to the Yankees. We knew it was a possibility things wouldn’t work out for him in New York.

Additionally, he’s not a good big game pitcher. Ottavino has a 13.50 postseason ERA in 12 games, and was part of the reason why the Yankees were eliminated in the ALCS in 2019.

2021 will yet again be a contract year for Ottavino. He will be in the final year of a three-year, $27 million deal with the Yankees. Now would be the time for the team to trade him.

They could pursue bench bats for him, prospects, or even international signing pool money. Many good relievers on the free-agent market could replace Ottavino in the bullpen.

It may be jumping the gun a little bit saying the Yankees should trade Adam Ottavino, but the team should listen to offers. If they acquire the right pieces and sign the right guys, a trade could make sense.

MLB News: The “Bubble” was a great success, Justin Turner, that’s another story

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In this crazy coronavirus MLB season, no one knew if a baseball season could be completed, but miraculously was up to the very last game of the World Series. Still, then the bubble broke when the Los Angeles Dodger’s Justin Turner tested positive for the virus and was removed from the game. The irresponsible Turner returned to the after-game celebration wearing a mask but hugging players nonetheless.

After a preseason with the owners and players trying to decide how to conduct a season and if a season would be on the horizon, they bickered back and forth over the length of a season and how much who would be paid for what. At one point, it looked as though the sides weren’t going to come together, and there would be no baseball season at all.

At the last moment, Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred issued health protocols to protect players and implemented a 60 game season with players being paid full prorated salaries. During the second spring training (summer camp), the coronavirus raised its ugly head with the Miami Marlins getting hit hard with 20 players and staff became infected. Here’s the timeline:

March 11, 2020: Washington governor Jay Inslee, whose state has been hit the earliest and the hardest by COVID-19, announces a ban on large group gatherings through at least the end of March. This was the first indication that a baseball season, if there was one, might be played without fans in the stands.

March 12, 2020: MLB announces that spring training games are canceled as of 4 p.m. ET and that the regular season’s start has been pushed back two weeks. Opening Day had originally been scheduled for March 26. We all know that didn’t happen; the two-week push back ended up being months.

March 15, 2020: The Yankees confirm that a minor leaguer in their system has tested positive for coronavirus. The unnamed player becomes the first MLB-affiliated player to be a confirmed COVID-19 case. The team quarantines all minor leaguers for two weeks. As it turned out, the Yankees were among the few teams that remained mostly unaffected by the virus.

March 31: MLB announces extended financial support for minor league players. Those players will continue receiving weekly payments of $400 each through the end of May or until the start of the minor league season, whichever comes first. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that starting the 2020 season without fans in the stands is becoming an increasing possibility.

May 9: MLB reportedly narrows its focus to beginning the season in early July at as many standard home ballparks as possible. The aim would be a regular season of around 80 games followed by an expanded postseason. Schedules would be organized regionally to minimize travel and allow players to isolate themselves with their families in their home cities.

May 13: MLB submits protocols for player testing and safety to the union in a 67-page document.

May 20: The Miami Marlines and Tampa Bay Rays are amoung the first MLB teams to open their spring training facilities for work outs.

May 24: The Yankees and Mets  get the green light from Governor Mario Cuomo to hold spring training at their home stadiums.

June 15: Several Major League players and staff members test positive for COVID-19.

June 21: After the COVID-19 outbreaks at spring training sites,  MLB orders all spring training sites closed down on Friday night for disinfecting. Players must test negative before returning.

June 30: Minor League Baseball announces the cancelation of the 2020 season.

July 12: Yankees’ Aroldis Chapman tests positive for the coronavirus, and experiencing mild symptoms.  The Blue Jays reach out to their Triple-A team about about playing in Buffalo after Canadian Government does not allow them to play at Roger’s Center.  Jays eventually select Buffalo for their home games.

July 23: Yankees open the  2020 regular season on July 23, facing the Nationals in the nation’s capital, setting up a showdown of aces between Cole and Washington’s Max Scherzer. The Yankees win their first game of the season 4 – 1 over the World Champion Nationals.

July 27: The Miami Marlins experience a COVID-19 outbreak with a total 20 reported cases. As a result, the Marlins-Orioles and Yankees-Phillies game were canceled, and Miami’s 2020 season was temporarily put on hold. The league revises the 2020 schedule for NL East, AL East teams amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

July 31: The St. Louis Cardinals have two players test positive for COVID-19.  The 2020 schedule is altered again.

June and July: Several MLB players from several teams opt out of playing during the 2020 baseball season.

September 15: Major League Baseball announced plans for its 2020 postseason on Tuesday. After getting approval from the Players Association, the league announced it would hold the final three rounds of the playoffs — the Division Series, League Championship Series, and World Series — at neutral-site locations. Players will be housed nearby to set up one-location bubbles for each series. 

After a mostly free baseball season from the coronavirus, MLB installed the “bubble,” all series would be played in that bubble. Players would be allowed to house at team selected hotels with their wifes, but would only be allowed to leave the hotel to their respective stadiums. This was done with an abundance of caucion so not to interup the postseason players with coronavirus infections. The plan was marviously secussful as the MLB went 58 consecutive days without a reported outbreak.

That was until the very last game of the World Series when Los Angeles Dodger player Justin Turner was comfirmed to have tested positive. He was immediately removed from the game. But when the team won it’s first World Series since 1988, the infected Turner couldn’t resist celebrating with his team on the field after the game. Turner, with a mask nevertheless hugged his fellow teamates. He took off the mask for photos including the team photo with manager Dave Roberts was to his immediate right and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was to his left, with only the World Series trophy between them. This only highlights how different people take the seriousness of the virus.

The future timeline for baseball and the coronavirus is unknown. But as coronavirus outbreaks spike in 40 states, the uncoming 2021 baseball season is not without questions.  Will there be a 162 game season, will fans be allowed in the stands.  So many questions to be answered, only time will tell.

 

 

Four New York Yankees players nominated for the 2020 All-MLB Team

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The New York Yankees announced on Thursday that four players have been nominated for the 2020 All-MLB Team. Fans have through November 13th to vote for players on the MLB.com website. Here are the four Yankee nominees:

Gerrit Cole

In his first season in pinstripes, Cole pitched to the tune of a 2.84 ERA with a 7-3 record. He had a 94 strikeouts over 73 innings with a 2.2 WAR and a 0.959 WHIP. Cole averaged 1.7 home runs per nine with 2.1 walks per nine.

Cole teamed up with back-up catcher Kyle Higashioka for the final four starts of the season, and had a 1.00 ERA with Higashioka behind the dish. It’s likely Cole and Higashioka will frequently be teaming up in 2021 and beyond, assuming Higashioka remains the back-up.

DJ LeMahieu

To nobody’s surprise, DJ LeMahieu had another stellar season for the Yankees. He won the batting title with a .364 average, hit 10 home runs and drove in 27. His OPS was a spectacular 1.011 with a 177 OPS+. LeMahieu did all that and totaled a 2.8 WAR despite a stint on the IL.

After two great seasons in The Bronx, LeMahieu is now a free-agent, with the Yankees hoping to retain him for next year and beyond.

Luke Voit

Voit had a breakout season with the Yankees, proving that he deserves to be the first-baseman of the future. Batting .277, Voit lead baseball with 22 home runs and was fourth in RBI with 52. He added a .948 OPS with a 156 OPS+.

Voit battled a foot injury all season, but managed to be one of the few Yankees to stay off the IL all season. Now that the season is over, he can rest and get his foot ready for the spring.

Gio Urshela

Urshela followed-up his 2019 breakout season with a solid 2020 season. In 151 at-bats, Urshela bat .298 while hitting six home runs and driving in 30. He had an .858 OPS with a 136 OPS+ and a 1.9 WAR.

Additionally, Urshela’s 0.7 dWAR is good enough to be an AL Gold Glove award candidate at third-base. He will be looking to win his first Gold Glove despite his stellar defense all throughout his career.

MLB News: The Los Angeles Dodgers win their first World Series since 1988

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The roof was closed for game six of the MLB World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Arlington, Texas. The Series was on the line for the Rays as the Dodger led the series 3 games to 2. The pitching matchup was Tony Gonsolin against Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays. This was an elimination game for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tony Gonsolin to the mound to win it all for the Dodgers. Gonsolin who was excellent in the regular season, going 2-2 with an ERA of just 2.31. However, he has been ineffective in the postseason and is 0-2 with an inflated 9.38 ERA. In his three games, two starts, he pitched 7 2/3 inning giving up eight runs. This is due to an October 15 game against the Atlanta Braves; he gave up 5 earned runs in 4.2 innings. In the very first inning, he gave up a homer to possible MVP Randy Arozarena, Arozarena’s tenth homer of the postseason.

Blake Snell took the mound in an attempt to force a game seven on Wednesday night. Snell in the postseason is 2-2 with an ERA of 3.33. In the Wild Card round, he won his game against the Toronto Blue Jays, in the ALCS, he split two games with the Houston Astros, and in the second game of this World Series, he won against the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving up two runs in 4.2 innings. With Snell on the mound, the Rays bullpen will come into play. Snell seldom went more than five innings in most games.

Snell made it to the start of the six-inning keeping the Los Angeles Dodgers scoreless before being replaced by Nick Anderson after giving up a single to Austin Barnes. Anderson gave up a double to Mookie Betts as Barnes went to third on the long double to the left-field wall. Justin Turner at the plate. Anderson threw a wild pitch, and Barnes scored, tieing the game at one apiece. On a fielder’s choice, Betts came home for the Dodger 2-1 lead.

Turner hit a long one that looked out but was caught for the second out of the inning. Loup came in to close out the inning for the Rays. Brusdar Gaterol started the top of the seventh, replacing Victor Gonzalez, for the Dodgers. He got two quick outs but gave up a single and was replaced by Julio Urias. Urias, a starter for the Dodgers, got Yanky Diaz to strike out and maintain the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 lead.

At the bottom of the seventh, Pete Fairbanks took over for Loup and gave up a double to Will Smith. Cody Bellinger skied out for the first out.  Chris Taylor struck out, and Joc Pederson pinch-hitting was walked intentionally to get at Austin Barnes. Barnes flew out to Lowe to end the inning. With the score at 2-1 Dodgers, Randy Arozarena was first up for the Rays at the top of the eighth inning with Julio Urias still on the Dodgers’ mound. Arozarena flies out to Bellinger. Urias got Meadows out, and Brandon Lowe struck out, ending the Rays’ hopes in the eighth.

At the bottom of the eighth, with Fairbanks still on the mound, Mookie Betts homers to centerfield to increase the Dodger lead to 3-1. Corey Seager walked. Hernandez struck out. Fairbanks was replaced by Ryan Yarbrough with one on and one out. Max Muncy hit into a double play, and the inning was over. With the score at 3-1 Dodgers, it was last licks for the Tampa Bay Rays.

At the top of the ninth inning, the Dodgers just had to get 3 outs to win their first World Series since 1988. Julio Urias still in there got Manuel Margot popped out to Mookie Betts for out number one. Mike Brosseau pinch-hitting stuck out for out number two. With the Dodgers one out away, Willie Adames held the Rays hopes with his bat, Adames, but he stuck out for out number three, and the 2020 World Series was over. The Los Angeles Dodgers have their first World Championship since 1988.

It was a great baseball season for the Tampa Bay Rays, but in this coronavirus season that will go down in the baseball history books the Los Angeles Dodgers were victorious. It was the seventh title for the Dodgers, their sixth since moving to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 1957, and the first for Dave Roberts as manager. The final score was Dodgers 3 and the Tampa Bay Rays 1. The winning pitcher was Victor Gonzalez and the loser, Nick Anderson.

In the award ceremony following the game, the Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred was heavily booed as Clayton Kershaw, who has had a World Series ring evade him, manager Dave Roberts, and all the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated on the field. Corey Seager won the MVP Award for his play in the postseason.

Could the New York Yankees reunite with Austin Romine in 2021?

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After the 2019 season, the New York Yankees let backup catcher Austin Romine walk in free agency, and he signed a 1 year, $4.1 million deal with the Detroit Tigers. Since the deal was just one year long, it means he’s a free agent once again. Could the Yankees reunite with him in 2021?

It’s no question that the Yankees have struggled to get output from the catcher position over the past few seasons. Ever since Aaron Boone became manager, things went downhill for Gary Sanchez. 2019 was mediocre for him with a .238 average and a .841 OPS, but bat under .200 with a sub-.700 OPS in both 2018 and 2020.

Could a Romine reunion in The Bronx could help with that problem? With Gary Sanchez struggling and question marks surrounding current back-up Kyle Higashioka, Romine might not be a bad signing.

Romine’s 2019 season with the Yankees was solid. With Gary Sanchez making multiple trips to the IL, Romine’s role expanded. He hit .281 in 228 at-bats, hitting eight home runs and driving in 35 runs. He had a .748 OPS with a 96 OPS+. For a backup catcher, those numbers are very respectable.

With the Tigers in 2020, Romine didn’t see as much success as the year prior, but played well enough for his role. He was technically the starter, however he didn’t play as much as many starting catchers do. In the 60 game season, Romine bat .238 in 130 at-bats, hitting two home runs and driving in 17. He played just 37 games.

The Yankees have seemingly developed a catching problem over the past three years. Could bringing Austin Romine back in pinstripes help with that problem?

MLB News: The World Series may be decided tonight, Rays could be eliminated

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New York Yankees, Blake Snell

Tonight in Arlington, Texas, the MLB World Series could be over. The Tampa Bay Rays may be eliminated and sent home to Florida after going to the World Series for the first time since 2008. The Los Angeles Dodgers could end the series with a win and garner their first World Series win since 1988.

The game tonight will be at 8:08 pm at Globe Life Field home of the Texas Rangers during the regular season. The series will continue in the “bubble,” which has been successful with no player testing positive for the coronavirus. The game will be played under the retractable roof, protecting the limited fans in the stands from the chilly Texas weather. Game-time temperatue will be near 40 degrees. The game will be televised on the Fox Network.

The Rays pitcher Blake Snell will first take the mound in an attempt to force a game seven on Wednesday night. Snell in the postseason is 2-2 with an ERA of 3.33. In the Wild Card round, he won his game against the Toronto Blue Jays, in the ALCS, he split two games with the Houston Astros, and in the second game of this World Series, he won against the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving up two runs in 4.2 innings. With Snell on the mound, the Rays bullpen will come into play. Snell seldom goes beyond five innings.  He struck out nine in the game, but he allowed four straight runners to reach in the fifth inning. The Rays have a strong bullpen.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will send Tony Gonsolin to the mound to win it all for the Dodgers. Gonsolin who was excellent in the regular season, going 2-2 with an ERA of just 2.31. However, he has been ineffective in the postseason and is 0-2 with an inflated 9.38 ERA.  In his three games, two starts, he pitched 7 2/3 inning giving up eight runs.  Most of this is due to an October 15 game against the Atlanta Braves; he gave up 5 earned runs in 4.2 innings. In his one game in the World Series, he gave up one home run in the top of the second inning and was replaced. Gonsolin will have to locate his pitches very carefully against a team that is not going to go out of the strike zone.

If the Tampa Bay Rays can win the MLB World Series game six and force a game seven, it will be tomorrow night just after 8 pm; the result of that game will decide who wins the Fall Classic and become the World Series Champions. If that game seven is forced, the pitchers for the game will be a last-minute decision.

MLB World Series Recap: With the Dodger’s win the Rays face elimination Tuesday night

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Last night’s MLB World Series game was not a good night for Tampa Bay Ray’s Tyler Glasnow; the first batter he faced, Mookie Betts doubled, and then Corey Seager singled, driving in Betts for the 1-0 leas in the first inning. Seager stole third, Cody Bellinger singled, and it was 2-0. Although Glasnow allowed the Dodger lead in the first, it wasn’t an easy night for either pitcher.

At the top of the 2nd inning, the Dodger’s Joc Pedersen homered into the left-field bullpen for the 3-0 lead. With Clayton Kershaw on the mound for the Dodgers and one on, Yandy Diaz had a long double to far-right field. Ray’s star Randy Arozarena singled, driving a run, drawing the Rays to one run behind the Dodgers.

In the 4th, with no outs and men on the corners and the Dodgers 3-2 lead, Kevin Kiermaier at the plate, Manuel Margot, took off for home and was called out for the final out of the inning. At the top of the fifth inning, Max Muncy hit his third home run of the season far into the first deck of left field for the 4-2 Dodger lead after Tyler Glasnow put way eight Rays in a row. At the bottom of the frame, Clayton Kershaw still in there, struck out two Rays and got a fly out to finish off the inning.

The rest of the game remained scoreless for both teams, with the final score of 4-2 Dodgers. In the game, Randy Arozarena’s hit was his 27th hit of the postseason and all-time record in postseason hitting. Kershaw got the win, and Tyler Glasnow the loss.

Today will be a day off for both teams as the home field advantage switches back to the Dodgers. This game six coming on Tuesday night will be an elimination game for the Tampa Bay Rays. The probable pitchers will be Blake Snell for the Rays and Tony Gonsolin for the Dodgers. The game will be just aft 8 pm at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

 

MLB World Series Game Recap: If you missed it, you missed the most amazing World Series game (video)

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With the roof open at Globe Life Field, game four of the World Series continued between the MLB Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays, with the Dodgers up a game on the series.  In the very first inning, Justin Turner hit a home run to center for the Los Angeles lead in the game. Rays reliever Yarbrough closed out the inning but not before giving up that home run.

At the top of the third inning, Corey Seager hit another home run for the Dodgers to far center field, the second home run against the Rays opener Yarbrough. The New York Yankee killer Randy Arozarena hit his 9th home run of the postseason letting the Rays get on the board, Dodgers 2 and the Rays 1.

The Tampa Bay Rays getting on the board was just the beginning of a game that would have many emotional swings back and forth. The Dodgers used six pitchers, and the Rays used seven in the game. Neither starter went very far into the game, Julio Urias who had had a 0.56 ERA before the game, went only 4.2 innings, and the Ray’s Ryan Yarbrough only went 3.1 innings.

At the bottom of the fourth inning, Randy Arozarena hit his 9th homer of the postseason for the all-time record number of home runs in baseball postseason history. At the top of the fifth, the Ray’s, Muncy had an RBI single,  That was followed by a mammoth home run by Hunter Renfroe. Enrique Hernandez had an RBI double, and it was 3-2 Dodgers.

The real action didn’t start until the beginning of the sixth inning with the score at Dodgers 3-2. At the top of the frame, when the Dodgers tacked on another run. Dodgers 4-2. But at the bottom of the inning, the Rays picked up three runs, making it 4-5 Rays. At the top of the seventh, Joc Pederson with the bases loaded hits the biggest hit of his career, singling and putting the Dodgers back on top 6-5 in the seventh inning. At the bottom of the seventh, Kevin Kiermaier tied up the game with a homer to center for the 6-6 game.

The Los Angeles Dodgers took the lead back in the top of the eighth inning, and it would stay that way until the bottom of the ninth inning. That is when things got crazy. What then transpired made this Game 4 the signature game of the series. With two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning, Brett Phillips who wasn’t even on the roster in the ALCS, pinch-hit and laced a single to center field off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, bringing in the tying run, but Dodger centerfielder Chris Taylor kicked the ball. Randy Arozarena, who was on his way to second base, never stopped running after he passed third base he stumbling and fell to the ground, meanwhile Taylor was throwing the ball to home, but Arozarena got up and dashed home sliding into home plate, face first for the Rays, last-second win. The Ray’s manager Kevin Cash had this to say about the amazing end to the game.

“The moment the ball left Phillips’ bat, we knew we had a tie ballgame, and then everything that happened afterward, Randy’s not used to having to run like that,” Cash said. “Normally he’s used to just trotting. So it threw him off for a little bit getting tripped up there between third and home. But Phillips, man, give that guy a lot of credit. I don’t know when the last time he got an at-bat was. Pretty impressive what he just did against one of the game’s best closers.

“Happened so fast, I didn’t know what to do. Gave a bunch of hugs, just in disbelief.”

The final score was 8-7 Tampa Bay. Kenley Jensen took the loss for the Dodgers and John Curtiss the win for the Rays. The Rays scored seven of their runs with two outs.

The Tampa Bay Rays win ties up the series at two games apiece going into Game 5, on Sunday night. The game tonight will be a matchup of the Game 1 starters, Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers against the Ray’s Tyler Glasnow. Whoever wins the game will put the other team in an elimination situation on Tuesday night, when the home field advantage switches back to the Dodgers. The game will be on the FOX Network.

The following video is the full bottom of the ninth inning.

 

 

MLB World Series Preview: Tampa Bay Rays try to even up the series tonight

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Tonight in the MLB World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays will try to even up the series at two games apiece in the best of seven Fall Classic. The Rays won the first game, but the Los Angeles Dodgers roared back to win the last two games. The Rays beat the New York Yankees in the ALCS, and the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres in the NLCS to get to the World Series.

The game tonight will be in the bubble at the home of the Texas Rangers, Globe Life Field, and will have a reduced number of fans in the stands. The Rays will have a home-field advantage in tonight’s game. Last night Walker Buehler dominated the Rays in six innings, striking out 10 Rays and only allowing one earned runs. The usually very good Charlie Morton gave up five earned runs in just 4.1 innings. Muncy, Mookie Betts, and Justin Turner went at least 2-4 and drove in four of the Dodgers runs.

Tonight the game will be at 8:09 pm; the game will be telecast on the FOX Network. Tonight’s game will be with the roof open as there is no chance of rain in the Arlington, Texas area. There will be a slight fall feel to the game as the game-time temperature will be in the upper ’50s.

The Tampa Bay Rays will handle tonight’s game as a bullpen game. That features an opening that will pitch and inning or two and then turn it over to the bullpen. The Rays have announced that LHP Ryan Yarbrough will open the game. He is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in the postseason. This will be his four-game of the postseason. He got the win in the ALCS’s 3rd game against the Astros, giving up two runs in five innings. Yarbrough is rested, so as long as he is pitching well, Rays manager Kevin Cash will leave him in.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will start with Julio Urias, who has been totally dominant in the Dodgers postseason. In the NLCS, he started game four and closed game seven. In the postseason so far, he is 4-0 with an impossible ERA of .056. In the Wild Card, he won his game against the Brewers, and in the ALDS, he won against the Padres. Between both games, he gave up no earned runs. In the NLCS, he beat the Atlanta Braves in both appearances giving up just one run between them.

The edge tonight definitely goes to the Dodger’s if Urias pitches anything as he has in his other postseason games. Tomorrow night for game five, the Dodgers will go back to their ace Clayton Kershaw in what could be an elimination game for the Rays if they don’t win tonight. Rays manager Kevin Cash will pull every trick out of his managerial book to try to win tonight’s game.

MLB News: Game 3 of the World Series, Morton fails as the Dodgers take the 2 to 1 game lead in the Series.

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On a not so beautiful night in Arlington, Texas, it was Game 3 of the 2020 MLB World Series. Charlie Morton of the Tampa Bay Rays met up with the Los Angeles Dodgers Walker Buehler. For the first time in the World Series, there were fans in the stands, in a closed Stadium as the Globe Life Field roof was closed due to inclement weather. The Dodgers won the game 6-2.

Charlie Morton took the mound in the first inning as the home field advantage reverted to the Tampa Bay Rays for the next three games, after a day off Thursday. The teams were evened out at one game apiece in the series. Morton faced Justin Martin in the first, and Martin hit a home run to the left for the Dodgers one-run lead in the game. Morton got out of the inning, giving up just the one home run. At the bottom of the inning, Walker Buehler got the call from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Buehler made it look easy, striking out two in the inning. He struck out the New York Yankee Killer Randy Arozarena to close out the inning. After one inning, it was the Dodgers 1 and the Rays nothing.

At the top of the second inning, Cody Bellinger, who dislocated his shoulder in game two, flew out for the first out of the inning. Morton hit Corey Seager with a pitch then allowed Turner a double, Muncy singled, and it was 3-0 Dodgers in the third inning.  In the fourth, the Dodgers threatened again with men on the corners and only one out. Austin Barnes made a perfect bunt and drove in another run for the Dodgers 4-0 lead.   Mookie Betts singled, driving in Turner for the 5-0 Dodger lead. Mookie Betts then stole second. The Rays left Morton in to finish out the inning. Buehler pitched a perfect bottom of the inning.

Surprisingly the Rays put Morton back out for the top of the fifth inning. Muncy walked, and that was Morton’s night haven given up five earned runs in just four innings. The Rays replaced Morton with John Curtiss. Curtiss slammed the door on the remaining Dodgers. At the bottom, Beuhler gave hit first hit of the game to Manuel Margot, a double. Willie Adames hit a double driving in Margot, and the Rays were on the board. Dodgers 5 Rays 1.

At the top of the sixth, Austin Barns homered for the Dodgers off Curtiss for the 6-1 Dodger lead. Mookie Betts stole his second base on the night. Seager walked, but both were left on base. At the bottom of the frame, Austin Meadows got a single, the third hit off Buehler on the night. 26-year-old Walker Buehler struck out the next two Dodgers with a total of 10 strikeouts. At the top of the seventh, Ryan Sherriff took over for the Tampa Bay Rays. The game remained at 6-1 until the top of the ninth innning when Randy Arozarena hit a home tacking on a run for the Rays.

Walker Buehler was the winning pitcher and Charlie Mornton took the loss. The final score was 6-2 Dodgers, and the Dodgers advanced to a game ahead of the Rays in the in the best of seven series. Buehler pitched masterfully in the game. After the game Austin Barnes said ” That might have been the best I’ve ever seen his stuff.” Tomorrow night in game four of the World Series the Dodgers Julio Urias, who is 4-0 in the postseason with an ERA of .056, will face a yet unknown Ray pitcher at the time of this writing. The game will most likely be a pullpen game for the Rays.