Dodgers vs. Yankees: Tuesday, October 29, 2024

DODGERS VS. YANKEES: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2024 — Is a World Series sweep really possible? For THIS Dodgers team? It’s starting to appear that way as the Dodgers are now one win away from winning the World Series for the second time in five years and the first time in a full season since 1988.

These Dodgers weren’t as good as past versions. They supposedly didn’t have the pitching. They had some hitters, but they were injured, and the rotation just wasn’t going to hold up against New York.

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But it’s been Los Angeles’ series to lose ever since Freddie Freeman channeled Kirk Gibson in Game 1. And Freeman hasn’t stopped, homering in all three World Series games. The Yankees have honestly appeared shell-shocked since Game 1, and the Dodgers have turned the series on its head by embracing what they do have. The one area of certainty for Los Angeles has been the bullpen, seemingly a mitigated strength after what the Yankees did to Cleveland and its ace bullpen.

The bullpen has held up, and the Dodgers now try for the ultimate prize with nothing but their bullpen at their disposal. None of it was supposed to work in this series. But it seems like it’s just the Dodgers’ series to win.

The Odds

First Pitch

When: Tuesday, October 28 at 8:08 p.m. EST

Where: Yankee Stadium, New York

Starting Pitchers: TBD, LAD vs. Luis Gil, NYY (15-7, 3.50 ERA, 171 K’s)

Public Bets: 57% on New York

Public Money: 68% on New York

Dodgers vs. Yankees In-Season Trends

The Yankees still aren’t scoring. New York has just seven runs in three games in this series, and they got two of those in the final inning on Monday night. For whatever reason, the Yankee lineup just isn’t getting the job done. And that’s partially because of L.A. pitching. The Dodgers nearly got their fifth postseason shutout last time out, only denied with the game already at 4-0 when the Yanks tried to rally.

The Dodgers’ tendency remains to get a lead and keep it comfortable. Los Angeles came in as the underdog last time, but the Dodgers still managed to win by multiple runs. Once again, you won’t have to give runs with Los Angeles, but it might not be a bad idea if you want to play an alt spread.

Players to Watch

Aaron Judge still isn’t hitting at all in this series, and he’s quickly running out of time. At 1-for-12, Judge is just not the same player he was in the regular season. Either that’s going to change in Game 4, or the Yankees will be booking tee times on Wednesday.

For the Dodgers, it’s less of a player and more of a strategy. The key to this matchup is how Los Angeles chooses to use its bullpen. The Dodgers know for a fact that they do not need any one pitcher to go multiple innings; they just need to make sure that nobody gets bombed. Los Angeles just has to make sure it keeps New York off balance at every step.

The Prediction

The best way to look at this is whose bullpen is better. And the truth is that the Dodgers are in the Yankees’ heads at this point. New York might be able to count on the bullpen after Gil leaves, but the Dodgers’ style of play makes it tough for the Yankees to get a toehold in any of these games.

Los Angeles’ big strength at the plate is that it makes its opponents work. Any hitter will tell you that the more pitches you see, the better your chances are. And the Dodgers are going to see more pitches than the Yankees.