World Series Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays

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00:00World Series taking a little bit of time off, I guess, to garner that hype.

00:03And let me ask you this question, Joe, as we talk here on a Wednesday hump day

00:06right here on the Sports Grid Network.

00:08Do we like the off time?

00:10Or do we figure that we should have a floating date when we start championships?

00:13Because correct me if I'm wrong, was it the NBA last year that took like six

00:16or seven days off before their first game here, completely killing the momentum?

00:20Like, I don't need it the next day.

00:21I don't even need it two days.

00:22But if we end the series, let's just say over the weekend,

00:25like I got to have my action here within three to four days here, Joe.

00:28I don't like the wait, to be honest.

00:30Are you okay with the wait and understand it?

00:32Or should this not be a static date that they put in regardless of when the two teams finish up?

00:37I don't mind.

00:39You know, it gives you time to exhale a little bit, Donnie.

00:42Breathe.

00:43Enjoy some of the finer things here.

00:45Because, you know, once it starts, it's just going to be nonstop.

00:49You and I both know that.

00:50It's going to be all-consuming.

00:52All-consuming starting Friday night, 8 p.m. from Toronto.

00:56That's the Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays here.

00:58The opening line, Joe, at least at FanDuel's minus 148 price.

01:01Now we're seeing this price point in the mid-150s, depending on where you're shopping at.

01:05I have DraftKings 157, BetMGM 150, Bet365 150 here.

01:10And a total, that's seven and a half across the board.

01:12We don't know who the Blue Jays are sending out as game one starter.

01:15But Blake Snell, who's been absolutely filthy on full rest,

01:19will be the starter for the Dodgers in game number one.

01:22Yeah, I mean, listen, it's the way this is shaped up and turned out.

01:27And we knew that the Dodgers were going to be able to set up their rotation any which way they want.

01:33And quite honestly, it's not like they can go wrong with whoever they decide to throw out there

01:38in these two away games.

01:40But I think we've all come to the realization that if there is one team,

01:45and these were, by the way, both teams had top five offenses during the regular season.

01:50And when you're a Blue Jays team that hits nearly 300 in the postseason

01:54and cuts down on their strikeouts, they're going to put a lot of balls in play.

01:58Milwaukee couldn't do that.

02:00I think the Blue Jays have a legit shot here.

02:03I think the big advantage for the Dodgers, we know, is starting pitching.

02:07So can that lineup get to the starting pitching and crack the Rubik's Cube?

02:12If they can, this is going to be a fun series here, Donnie.

02:16Yeah, maybe Bichette sneaks back into that lineup.

02:18It's a very good hitting lineup for Toronto.

02:20And sometimes, Joe, you know, we talk about, you know, ebbs and flows

02:23and, you know, coming back to the mean at this point, attrition, whatever you want to call it.

02:27You can't be this good as a starting pitching staff all the way through.

02:31Because understand this, you might have a pretty good stretch in the summer

02:33because you played three straight really bad organizations

02:36that don't really have much at the play.

02:37Like, oh, we just lined up against, I don't know, the White Sox,

02:40and then we played the Pittsburgh Pirates, and we dominated.

02:43Our starting staff was fantastic.

02:45Sooner than later, that good talent in your hitting lineup is going to catch up.

02:49Like, I don't think anybody's anticipation is, oh, by the way,

02:51the Dodgers sweeped this series, and they gave up one run on average,

02:54games one through four, and only six combined hits in those four games.

02:57Like, sooner than later, something has to give.

02:59And sometimes it's just maybe the break of the momentum

03:01where in baseball, you are creatures of habit.

03:03You want to play every day.

03:05You want to be on your normal four- to five-day shift here

03:07as a starting pitcher in the bullpen.

03:08You get the picture at this point.

03:09So I look at it saying, it's a seven-game series.

03:13It's not a must-win for either team in games one necessarily

03:15or even games number two.

03:16We just found that out in the ALCS

03:17where games one and two went to Seattle.

03:19But who won that series?

03:20It was Toronto.

03:21Talk to me, Joe, about game number one.

03:23It feels like if you're Toronto, you've got to ambush now.

03:27You can't let them get into a rhythm.

03:28You've got to be swinging.

03:29If that for, hey, I want to take a pitch to get the game going.

03:32No, if that ball's over the plate, you've got to wail away.

03:35Yeah, you absolutely have to.

03:37And the interesting part about both these teams

03:39is that they both had issues on the road this year.

03:42They were much better at home hitting the ball

03:46than they were on the road.

03:47Now, the Dodgers didn't exactly crush the ball

03:50in that Brewers series either.

03:52They did just enough, Donnie, to be able to get the job done there

03:57against Milwaukee because, well, they knew Milwaukee

04:00couldn't generate any runs.

04:02That is not going to be the case here, I think,

04:04with the Toronto Blue Jays.

04:06They have to cut down on the strikeouts,

04:09and they have to put balls in play

04:10and make the Dodgers play some defense.

04:13If they can do that, I absolutely think they have a shot

04:17to win at least one of the first two games at home.

04:20We need some mushes here to get in here

04:22to try to help this series out.

04:24And you got one.

04:25That's Skip Bayless.

04:26Congratulations, he tweets, to the Toronto Blue Jays

04:28for winning the right to lose the World Series

04:31to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

04:33You know what else we need to see next?

04:35An account from a tweet from Stake that goes,

04:37Drake just put a million dollars on the Los Angeles Dodgers,

04:40even though we know he loves Toronto here.

04:42Looks like you got one guy trying to mush him.

04:44We need a couple more mushes to get a good series here, Joe.

04:47Yeah, no, we do here.

04:48But to me, this is all going to be about holding serve.

04:52If I'm the Blue Jays, I need to win my games at home

04:56because it's a different animal on the road.

04:58So hopefully they get at least game one or game two here

05:03and go from there.

05:05It's a 2-3-2 as we know.

05:07We just saw that in the ALCS.

05:08Well, hey, they can lose their first two games

05:10and still win the series like they just did.

05:11You don't want to make a habit of going down 0-2

05:13in a seven-game series and trying to come back.

05:15Dodgers, Toronto, Friday night.

05:18It's all going down.

05:19We'll be right back for hour number two of The Early Line.

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