Blue Jays vs. Dodgers Prediction: World Series Game 3 Betting Odds
It could be the last-ever outing for Jays starter and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer.
Worlds Series Game 3 Betting Analysis
Note that Monday is one of the great sports days of the year as it’s a rare Sports Equinox, meaning at least one game in each of the four major American professional sports leagues: This from MLB, Commanders-Chiefs on Monday Night Football, and the typical NHL and NBA slates. We could get another depending on how long this series goes.
After getting pummeled in Game 1 in Toronto, the Dodgers won Game 2 behind a second straight complete game from Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The winner of the second game of the World Series has gone on to win the Fall Classic 78 times (65.0 per cent) overall. But in three of the past five post-seasons, the World Series winner lost Game 2. That includes the Dodgers in 2020 vs. Tampa Bay when the Fall Classic was held in Arlington, Texas, due to COVID.
World Series Game 3 Betting Odds
Overall, the winner of Game 2 of any playoff series gone on to win it 271 times (70.6 per cent). The World Series has now been tied at 1-1 a total of 64 times, with the winner of Game 3 going on to be the champion 42 times (66.7 per cent).
On the updated series line, the Dodgers are -220 and Blue Jays +180, and I stand by my first pick of Los Angeles in six, especially as that potential Game 6 on Halloween night back at Rogers Centre would surely be started by Yamamoto, who has been basically unhittable in these playoffs. That it ends in six game is the +160 favourite, with seven at +170 and five at +220.
Toronto Blue Jays
Will Bo Bichette start on Monday? He did return from injury to start Game 1 and had a hit but was not in the starting lineup for Game 2. He entered late as a pinch-hitter (0-for-1) and then supplanted Isiah Kiner-Falefa at second base. Neither Bichette (2-for-16) nor IKF (1-for-10) has very good career splits off Monday’s Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow. With a single in the second inning of Game 2, Ernie Clement extended his hitting streak to eight games. That has tied Hall of Famer Paul Molitor for the fourth-longest in Blue Jays playoff history within a single post-season. Pat Borders holds the mark of 12 games in 1992.
Tonight may be the final big-league appearance for 41-year-old Max Scherzer, a lock first-ballot Hall of Famer five years after he retires – which may or may not be this off-season. But he’s probably not back in Toronto regardless without a contract. This will be his fifth career World Series start. He got the win in Game 4 of the ALCS in Seattle, allowing two runs in 5⅔ innings, but had quite poor road splits during the regular season, so I don’t think Monday goes very well for him or the Jays. They are 8-5 all-time in Game 3 of a playoff series, including 2-0 in Game 3 of the World Series.
Los Angeles Dodgers
All-Star catcher Will Smith had the big blow of Game 2, a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning for a 2-1 lead. That was the Dodgers’ eighth all-time go-ahead homer in the seventh inning-or-later of a World Series game and the first since Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of 2024 vs. the New York Yankees. It was the Dodgers’ first go-ahead home run in the seventh inning-or-later in a nine-inning game (Freeman’s homer was in the bottom of the 10th) since Kirk Gibson’s epic walk-off blast in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, one of the most memorable moments in baseball history. Max Muncy homered not long after Smith and now has 15 career playoff bombs, extending his Dodgers record. It was his third career home run in the World Series.
Hard-throwing righty Tyler Glasnow starts on the mound Monday. He hasn’t gotten a decision in three outings in these playoffs (one in relief) and has a 0.68 ERA in 13.1 innings with 18 strikeouts and just seven hits allowed. Glasnow took a no-decision vs. the Blue Jays on Aug. 10 at Dodger Stadium, allowing two runs over 5.2 innings. He was a bit wild with four walks, and that’s usually his only issue. If he has good control, it’s lights out for the Jays on Monday most likely. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (7-for-17, two doubles, HR) and George Springer (6-for-13, HR) do have good regular-season career splits off Glasnow. The Dodgers are 30-29 all-time in Game 3 of a playoff series, including 13-9 in Game 3 of the World Series.
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