Tampa Bay Rays: Five Takeaways from Game 3 Loss to the Dodgers
![Oct 23, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Austin Meadows (17) reacts after striking out against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning of game three of the 2020 World Series at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Frayscoloredglasses-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F15104390-850x560-36fbe965e7e87c024eda694e19d76980.jpg)
![Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Frayscoloredglasses-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F15104390-3944c85c64670fa49755270c0efb8e74.jpg)
A defeat in game three of the World Series sees the Tampa Bay Rays fall behind 2-1.
Dodgers’ starting pitcher Walker Buehler was in excellent form, but Tampa Bay’s offense had another poor night. In an eerily similar manner to game one, the Rays struggled to impose themselves while the Dodgers were at their brash, and belligerent, best.
Charlie Morton was the starting pitcher for the Rays, but he was the shadow of his usual self. Justin Turner homered in the first inning, and Morton could not make amends. In 4.1 IP, he gave up seven hits as well as five runs before being replaced by John Curtiss.
It was the bottom of the fifth inning before the Rays could get a hit. Manuel Margot’s double was scant consolation as the Dodgers had were well on their way to victory at that point.
The one bright moment for the Rays was Randy Arozarena’s 9th inning homer. The rookie scored his eight HR in postseason and 23rd hit to become a record-breaker. If the Rays are to turn around the deficit in the series, Arozarena will need to keep his bat hot.
Randy Arozarena is tied with Nelson Cruz, Carlos Beltran and Barry Bonds for the most homers in a single #postseason with 8. pic.twitter.com/lAfowPKcn4
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 24, 2020
Picking through the bones of the match, here are five takeaways for Tampa Bay Rays fans.
Need to find a win against Kershaw or Buehler
In two matchups with the Dodgers’ ace starting pitchers, the Rays have been totally dominated. Both Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler pitched six innings, in their respective starts, and gave up a miserly single hit.
Undoubtedly, they are both excellent pitchers, but the Rays have not been close to pressuring them. They have a combined 18 strikeouts as the Rays’ offense is struggling to lay a bat on ball.
If the Rays are going to win the World Series, they will need to find a way to score of one if not both pitchers. They are likely to face Kershaw in game five which could be to close out the series for the Dodgers if the Rays drop game four. That is a worrying prospect based on game one’s outcome.
![Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Frayscoloredglasses-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F15102737-bf04b27a92137e0c07d609d184bd0050.jpg)
Choi’s fielding
Apart from the record-breaking Arozarena blast, there was little to celebrate. However, Ji-Man Choi did produce three pieces of fantastic fielding to cheer up even the most miserable of Rays fans.
His first offering came in the first when Willy Adames’ throw was taken by Choi, while doing the splits, to see off Mookie Betts. It was fantastic athleticism from the South Korean.
The split by Ji-man Choi on this play ? pic.twitter.com/hjRjLtpcWA
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 24, 2020
Two more pieces of athletic fielding turned less than accurate throws into outs; Betts again and Seagar were the astounded runners.
The wayward throws were symptomatic of a bad night at the office for the Rays’ defense apart from the ever-enthusiastic Choi.
Offense needs more hits
Coming into the World Series, Kevin Cash would have been very aware of the hitting ability of the Dodgers. What would not have been foreseen was the Rays’ inability to cope with quality pitching.
After three games the Rays are being out hit by 25 to 20 and outscored 18 runs to 11. Those statistics do not tell the real story as game two would have improved the position.
Before Tampa Bay can think about Kershaw, they must negotiate Julio Urías. That will be no mean feat as the Mexican is pitching at 0.56 ERA in postseason. In his last outing, he closed out the NLCS for the Dodgers. Urías will not be fearing the Rays’ batters who must try to get some base hits early.
![Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Frayscoloredglasses-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F15103460-f32e20dcd0af8910b39ebbdbc03db655.jpg)
Tampa Bay Rays are struggling to fire after giving up the lead
In the series so far, the team who has scored first has gone on to win the game. The Dodgers feed off momentum and will be difficult to hold should they get on the board early in game four.
If Tampa Bay do fall behind, they need to reply quickly. In games one and three of the ALCS, they fell behind to the Houston Astros and still won. A comeback is certainly not beyond the Rays, but belief is a significant factor.
Kevin Cash needs to play a big part in keeping his men focussed. The Rays are incredibly good at keeping to their game plan and must do so to ignore the Dodgers’ imposing play. Once they are ahead, the Dodgers look to bully and pressurize. For example, Mookie Betts’ propensity to steal bases creates noise to distract. The Rays cannot allow that to continue.
Must win game 4
It is a big call, but I feel that the Rays must-win game four to stay in the hunt. It is always possible to come back from 3-1 down, as the Dodgers did in the NLCS, but it is unlikely against this Dodgers team.
Having had two quiet games, Tampa Bay cannot afford to allow another off night. As discussed previously, the Dodgers love to lead from the front and dominate. That is easy with the likes of Betts, Seagar, and Bellinger looking to exploit weakness.
Next. Kiermaier deserved Gold Glove consideration. dark
The Tampa Bay Rays must replicate their game two strategy by getting the Dodgers to resort to their bullpen as early as possible. If they keep doing the simple things well, then good things can happen. The World Series will not be lost in game four, but its destination could be a lot clearer.