Game 3 – Series Tied 1-1
The NLCS shifts back to Queens for the first time since 2015 with the Mets and Dodgers all tied up at one win apiece.
Mark Vientos and Francisco Lindor, two of the Mets’ top Postseason contributors, helped lead New York to a 7-3 romping in Game 2, while Sean Manaea and the rest of the Mets bullpen managed to keep Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman hitless.
The pitching matchup for Thursday’s game is slightly in favour of the home side with Luis Severino taking the mound.
The veteran right-hander threw five scoreless innings against the Phillies last week before Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos made him pay for three runs, a mistake that was as much on Severino as it was Mets management.
Walker Buehler, on the otehr hand, is arguably the biggest liability in the Dodgers’ rotation as he continues to try and rediscover his best stuff post-injury.
The 30-year-old was tagged for six runs against the Padres last week, but on the plus side, he does boast a 2.25 career ERA at Citi Field across 12 combined innings.
While we’re looking back, it’s worth noting Severino gave up seven earned runs against the Dodgers last year in just four innings of work in his final season with the Yankees.
With all that in mind, I think the Over is probably the best play here with a handful of players (Ohtani, Freeman, Pete Alonso) yet to make an impact, but given the Dodgers are also 41-25 after a loss (the second-best record in the league this year) there’s also a case to be made for the visitors.
- Tip: Dodgers to Win & Over 5.5 Runs @ $2.30
Player Pick
Mookie Betts, Tesocar Hernandez, Ohtani, and Max Muncy have all taken Severino deep, so it’s basically a pick’em in terms of Dodger hitters if you’re keen on a home run bet.
Those last two, Ohtani and Muncy, are the ones I want to focus on, though, as both have recorded an average exit velocity of 101 MPH off the end of the bat against the right-hander.
- Tip: Shoehi Ohtani to Hit a Home Run, Max Muncy to Hit a Home Run