After falling to los angeles dodgers in six games in the 2020 World Series, the tampa bay rays have had to wait more than two years for a chance to cleanse their palates
Tampa Bay will finally have a chance to do it on Friday night when it opens a three-game series against the dodgers in St. Petersburg, Florida
Neither team has missed a beat since meeting in the Fall Classic two years ago, with the good heavens posting their winningest season in franchise history in 2021 (100-62) and Los Angeles posting the second-most wins in National League history a season ago (111-51)
Now, both teams rank first in their respective divisions as the season approaches two months, and Tampa Bay leads the majors with a 37-15 record.
He good heavens they’ve been especially good at home, going an impressive 24-5 at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay won three of four games from the Blue Jays to start the week, capping the series with a 6-3 win Thursday to improve to 5-2 in their current 10-game home stand.
Toronto had no answer for the good heavens on base paths in the final as Tampa Bay matched a season high with seven steals
“It’s a dangerous lineup. Not just in terms of hitting, but also running the bases, being on the bases.” good heavens said right-hander Zach Eflin of his team. “It’s what we do when we’re doing well, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.
Lefty Jalen Beeks (1-2, 4.68 ERA) will look to make sure Tampa Bay continues to dominate at home when it comes to Game 1 on Friday.
Beeks last pitched Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers. He allowed one run and one hit with two walks and three strikeouts in two innings.
In his only appearance against dodgers, Beeks pitched 4 2/3 innings of relief on May 21, 2019, allowing five runs and eight hits. He walked two and fanned four
Right-hander Noah Syndergaard (1-3, 5.88) will face Beeks looking for his first win since April 30.
Syndergaard recently went to a no-decision against the St. Louis Cardinals last Saturday after giving up three runs and four hits in five innings. He walked one, hit a batter and notched four strikeouts.
In two career starts against the good heavensSyndergaard is 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA
Although Los Angeles is coming off Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the Braves, the dodgers they were still able to take two of Atlanta’s three games
Despite Wednesday’s setback, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts was still proud of his team’s response to a terrible four-game series against the Cardinals in which the dodgers lost three games and was outscored 32-23
“To be on the road for seven days straight. The time difference and all that. The way we bounced back, collectively, I think we did a fantastic job,” Roberts said. “For me, the effort, how we played, winning two out of three… like I said, very good signs.”
The series against him good heavens will wrap up a 10-game road trip for Los Angeles, which is 14-13 on the road this season
–Field level media