Why Starting Pitchers Hold the Hidden Key to Game 3 Victory

Blue Jays vs. Dodgers, Game 3, 8:00 ET

We have a unique day today, with a sports equinox happening. That means that all four of the major sports are playing on the same day. We have Monday Night Football with the NFL, multiple hockey games in the NHL, a handful on the hardwood with the NBA, and we are lucky enough to get Game 3 of the World Series. The series is tied at one game apiece and now shifts to Los Angeles as the Blue Jays take on the Dodgers.

Toronto came into this series with most people writing them off. They were able to steal the first game, and their odds instantly dropped from winning the World Series to being about even. As of today, they are back to being underdogs in the series. But should they really feel like an underdog? Should the Dodgers really be -225 to win three of the next five games? In Game 1, there was no question that the Blue Jays were the better team. Blake Snell looked anything but Snell-esque as he was rocked. The Dodgers still scored four runs, and their offense has been fine in both games. Toronto was able to get 11 runs on 14 hits. What is probably most concerning about the performance is that they scored nine runs in the sixth inning. They have scored three total runs in 16 innings. They were able to get nine of their runs in the first game off of homers as well, which isn’t always a sustainable way to score. In Game 2 when they scored just one run, it was on a sacrifice fly and just four hits. The Dodgers showed their power a bit, getting two homers in the seventh inning, but the rest was pieced together. I am not sure exactly when the Stand Up 2 Cancer thing happened, but that break could’ve thrown off the Toronto pitchers. If it did, I’d just be making an excuse. The reality is that Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw a gem for the Dodgers.