PSO Premium Review: MLB World Series Game 2

Despite the Dodgers owning the momentum after a Game 1 victory, it was the Tampa Bay Rays who started off Game 2 hot. Blake Snell was absolutely dominant his first time through the lineup, pitching four no-hit innings before getting into trouble in the 5th inning. The Dodgers’ damage wasn’t enough though as Brandon Lowe & Joey Wendle drove in all six of Tampa Bay’s runs to even up the series at 1-1 and make this a much more interesting series.

Enjoy PSO’s Premium Review for MLB World Series Game 2:

Facts to Know

Tampa Bay Rays set a MLB record for the most HRs in a single postseason (28)
Corey Seager’s 7 HR are the most by a shortstop in a single postseason
Randy Arozarena tied Derek Jeter for the most Hits (22) by a rookie in a single postseason
Arozarena leads all rookies in postseason HR (7), XBH (11), TB (48), Hits (22)
Rays have tied the MLB record for the most Ks (26) over the 1st 2 games of a World Series
Only the ’68 Cardinals (17) racked up more Ks in a non-extra inning World Series game than Tampa Bay (15)
Only Duke Snider (11) has more career postseason HR in Dodgers franchise history than Corey Seager (10)
Rays offense got 10 hits & only struck out 7 times, ending multiple postseason record streaks
Brandon Lowe & Joey Wendle are the 1st duo w/ 3+ RBIs each for all of their team’s runs in a World Series game
Tampa Bay Rays have won 63 straight games when leading after 7 innings

Blake Snell

1st pitcher in MLB history to have multiple Ks in each of the 1st 4 IP of a World Series game
Snell’s 9 Ks are the t-most by any pitcher in under 5 IP during a postseason game
Joined Sandy Koufax as the only pitchers with 8+ Ks through 4 no-hit IPs to begin a World Series game
3rd pitcher in World Series history w/ 2 Ks in 4 consecutive IP within a World Series game (Koufax & Bob Gibson)

Best Highlights

Brandon Lowe went deep x2

Brandon Lowe starts the scoring in Game 2. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/Ads6TFJE1t
— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2020

Lowe hits it high. pic.twitter.com/I8N1cao5oH
— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2020

Blake Snell was dealing early

Blake Snell is bringing it. pic.twitter.com/YuMT0suDqe
— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2020

Joey Wendle driving in runs helped big-time

Joey Wendle finds the gap! pic.twitter.com/amt9pyPWWK
— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2020

Dodgers dropped some of their own bombs

A Taylor-made HR. pic.twitter.com/tDIBi8a0wN
— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2020

Watch it fly, @will_smith30. pic.twitter.com/z0PU8brllM
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 22, 2020

Seven for Seager. pic.twitter.com/v3TlU7dXFJ
— MLB (@MLB) October 22, 2020

Most Valuable Intel

1. No slump can stop Brandon Lowe

The biggest headline from Game 2 was the resurgence of Brandon Lowe who was Tampa Bay’s best hitter during the 60-game regular season, but has struggled mightily during the 15-game postseason…until Wednesday. Credit should go to Manager Kevin Cash for keeping Lowe near the top of the lineup as he delivered in Game 2 with two critical HRs that proved to be the difference of a 2-0 series deficit and a 1-1 tie with the World Series wide open and Tampa’s best hitter back in a groove.

2. Dodgers can’t rely on rookie pitchers

On the other end of the spectrum, the reason why Lowe and Joey Wendle were so successful in Game 2 was because of LA’s rookie pitchers failing to live up to expectations. Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May were tremendous in their first full* regular season as they looked like veterans, but that has been far from the case since the beginning of October. Gonsolin’s 2.31 regular season ERA has ballooned to 9.39 in the playoffs while May’s 2.57 ERA has risen to 5.00 in games that matter more. Not to mention, rookie RP Victor Gonzalez who only allowed 3 ER in 20.1 regular-season IP, has already allowed 2 ER in just his last 3.2 playoff innings. Dave Roberts should be cautious when trusting any rookies in these monumental moments going forward.

3. Justin Turner needs to produce from the #3 spot in the lineup

Using fewer rookies on the mound isn’t the only thing that has burned Dave Roberts so far in the first two games of this World Series. Justin Turner has been a cornerstone for this franchise alongside Clayton Kershaw during their seven-year run as NL West division champs and owns an almost identical batting line in the playoffs (.291/.394/.486) as he does during the regular season (.292/.369/.469) over his career.

However, in 2020, he’s only hitting .216 through 14 playoff games, and none of his hits seem to come in a big moment, while some of his 11 Ks and 40 hit-less ABs have prevented LA from scoring some significant runs. When Mookie Betts and Corey Seager get on base, it’s imperative LA has hitters behind them to drive them in and Turner hasn’t been able to get the job done so far. Roberts might want to consider moving Bellinger up to the 3-spot with Muncy batting fourth if Turner doesn’t turn it around soon.

Future Outlook

For a primer on what the colors mean, click here. For TB’s full Team Outlook, click here

Tampa Bay got some big help from their infield in Game 2 during their one opportunity to face a weaker starting pitcher. However, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, and Clayton Kershaw are in line to start the next three games for the Dodgers, which will be much more difficult for this Rays lineup. The Rays have the last of their rotation trifecta going with Charlie Morton matching up against Buehler in Game 3 while Ryan Yarbrough will likely lead a bullpen game in Game 4 before Glasnow takes the ball again in Game 5, which is now guaranteed to happen. No matter what happens in Game 3, Game 4 becomes the biggest game of the series as whoever takes a 3-1 lead is almost certain to win the World Series but if the trailing team can make it 2-2, fans will get to see a Game 6 and a series any team can win.