Game 1 of the 2020 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays is set for Tuesday night.
The Dodgers came back from a 3-1 deficit to top the Braves, while the Rays outlasted the Astros in seven games.
Los Angeles and Tampa Bay had the two best records in baseball this season.
Here are the series and Game 1 lines at some of Illinois’ top online sportsbooks.
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World Series odds
| Team | DraftKings | William Hill | FanDuel | PointsBet | BetRivers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA Dodgers | -210 | -210 | -210 | -200 | -210 |
| TB Rays | +165 | +180 | +176 | +160 | +165 |
Game 1 odds
The pitching matchup for Tuesday’s game is Tyler Glasnow vs. Clayton Kershaw. First pitch is at 7:11 p.m. CST, and the game will air on Fox.
Glasnow is 2-1 for the Rays this postseason with a 4.66 ERA. In the regular season, the fireballer went 5-1 with a 4.08 ERA.
On the other side, Kershaw is 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in the playoffs, far better than his well-documented 4.31 career mark. He went 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA for the Dodgers this season.
Here are the Game 1 moneyline odds at Illinois sportsbooks.
| DraftKings | William Hill | FanDuel | PointsBet | BetRivers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA Dodgers | -182 | -172 | -174 | -180 | -182 |
| TB Rays | +155 | +157 | +150 | +150 | +155 |
DraftKings offering 100/1 odds for new users
First-time DraftKings depositors have the potential to win $100 with a $1 World Series bet.
Deposit $5 into your sportsbook account, and you are eligible for the odds boost.
The bet has to be on either team to win the game, and the promotion is eligible for the duration of the World Series, not just Game 1.
But for example, let’s say you like Kershaw and the Dodgers in Game 1.
Despite the fact that Los Angeles is a -182 favorite on its normal moneyline offering, you can get the Dodgers at +10,000 with a maximum $1 bet.
The promotion excludes live bets and parlays.
Meanwhile, PointsBet is offering a 100% match on a user’s first in-play bet of up to $25.
So, let’s say the second inning rolls around and the score is tied. You take the Rays moneyline.
PointsBet will give you another in-play World Series bet for the same value you just wagered. You can’t use it in the same game, though, so wait until Game 2 or later.
Finally, FanDuel is offering some interesting prop boosts.
A Dodgers win to go along with a Cody Bellinger home run would normally be +440, but that’s listed at +540 for Tuesday. Los Angeles is also +700 to sweep the series sans boost, but +800 with it.
2020 World Series preview
The Rays have already announced Blake Snell as their Game 2 starter, while the Dodgers have yet to announce one.
Both pitching staffs are excellent, but the Dodgers have an obvious offensive edge.
The Dodgers finished three games better than the Rays in the regular season and scored 60 more runs.
The lineup is terrifying; the fact that Bellinger is LA’s No. 6 hitter is evidence. Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Max Muncy were all outstanding in the NLCS. Seager slugged .897.
Tampa Bay is struggling a bit on offense with the glaring exception of Randy Arozarena. Arozarena has a 1.288 OPS in the Playoffs.
Manuel Margot and Ji-Man Choi have also hit well, but no other Rays starter has a Playoff OPS above .775. The Dodgers, meanwhile, have six regulars above that mark.
With that said, the Rays have an excellent bullpen, and it’s their clearest advantage in the series.
Still, the Dodgers and Rays have identical 3.36 postseason team ERAs. It’s baseball, and Tampa can certainly win the World Series.
But the quick version as to why Los Angeles is favored is that it has a better offense, and the pitching is about equal.
