The 2020 World Series resumes Friday night at Globe Field Field in Arlington. The Los Angeles Dodgers took Game 1 on Tuesday (LA 8, TB 3) before the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to win Game 2 on Wednesday (TB 6, LA 4). The series is now a best-of-five. Here's how you can watch Game 3.
As always, the two clubs announced their starting lineups a few hours before first pitch. Here's the batting order Dodgers manager Dave Robert is using in Game 3:
- RF Mookie Betts
- SS Corey Seager
- 3B Justin Turner
- 1B Max Muncy
- DH Will Smith
- CF Cody Bellinger
- 2B Chris Taylor
- LF Joc Pederson
- C Austin Barnes
SP Walker Buehler
With the Rays throwing a righty, the Dodgers will put Pederson in left rather than A.J. Pollock or Enrique Hernandez (Taylor typically plays left with Hernandez at second against lefties). Also, Barnes is behind the plate to catch Buehler, with Smith sliding to DH. Barnes is the superior defender but Smith is too good a hitter to leave on the bench.
Now here is the starting nine Rays manager Kevin Cash will send out there in Game 3. Tampa is the home team in Game 3 and will bat in the bottom half of the inning:
- DH Austin Meadows
- 2B Brandon Lowe
- LF Randy Arozarena
- 1B Ji-Man Choi
- RF Manuel Margot
- 3B Joey Wendle
- SS Willy Adames
- CF Kevin Kiermaier
- C Mike Zunino
SP Charlie Morton
The team that used 59 different lineups in 60 regular season games is using the same lineup in back-to-back World Series games. Go figure. Hey, that lineup put six runs on the board in Game 2, and Lowe seemed to snap out of his long postseason slump, so why not go with it again?
As always, expect Cash and the Rays to employ pinch-hitters in the later (or even middle) innings as necessary. Mike Brosseau, Yandy Diaz, and Hunter Renfroe all offer righty pop while Yoshitomo Tsutsugo does so from the left side. Brett Phillips looms as a pinch-runner and outfield defensive replacement.
