The Baltimore Orioles won the first game of a possible World Series preview against the Los Angeles Dodgers and are expected to win the series on Wednesday.
Since the game is on the West Coast, first pitch will once again not be until 10:10 p.m. ET. It’s going to be a long night for Orioles fans, but one that could be worth it.
It was a nail-biting game on Tuesday as Baltimore had to defend its one-run lead over the final four innings, but did so well.
The Dodgers currently have a record of 78-54 and have won six of their last eight games.
In the second game of the series, top player Corbin Burnes will be on the mound for the Orioles.
Burnes, a longtime Cy Young Award candidate, has struggled in his last few appearances, a trend Baltimore wants to break.
In his terrible August, he posted an 8.71 ERA in four starts. Granted, some of those starts were against elite offenses like the Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros, but that’s what he’ll face in the playoffs.
It will be difficult to shut down Los Angeles’s powerful offense, but it could do wonders for his confidence down the stretch.
The Dodgers will field Walker Buehler, who has not been feeling much better since returning from a hip injury.
In his two games after the injury, he allowed seven runs (six earned) in 7.1 innings pitched, but his pre-injury season wasn’t much better, with his ERA rising to 5.84 by the end of June.
The Orioles hope that hitters Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday can break their form slump in this crucial series.
Henderson posted a slash line of just .182/.280/.227 in the week before the series, while Holliday was even worse at .059/.158/.118. Both players hit a single in the first game.
Seranthony Dominguez made his third consecutive save on Tuesday, giving the coaching staff a sigh of relief after his two consecutive walk-off home runs against the New York Mets.
The bookies have priced this game as an even money line bet, expecting it to be close again. The run line is also uncertain, coming in at -1.5 in Baltimore’s favor, but comes with odds of +160.
