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The Los Angeles Dodgers are one game away from winning the World Series after taking Game 3 in New York last night against the Yankees by a 4-2 scoreline. New York’s season now rests on the shoulder of Luis Gil tonight, while Los Angeles will start with relief pitcher Ryan Brasier in a game that will likely feature multiple arms for the visitors.
Let’s dive into my Dodgers @ Yankees MLB picks for Game 4 at Yankee Stadium tonight and break down why I expect a rocky start for Luis Gil in what could be the final MLB contest of the postseason.
The Dodgers are up three games to none in this best-of-seven series, and they’ve had no problem dismantling the Yankees after a wild finish to Game 1. 1B Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off Grand Slam in that contest, but the other two games haven’t been close. Since New York took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 6th in the series opener, Los Angeles has outscored the Yanks 13-5 and the Dodgers haven’t looked back.
Freeman has been the highlight for this team, as the slugger is hitting .333 in the World Series to go with seven RBIs and three HRs. He’s gone yard in every game this series, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes Luis Gil deep tonight. However, he isn’t the only hitter Gil has to worry about, as DH Shohei Ohtani and RF Mookie Betts can take him deep before he even faces Freeman!
There hasn’t been much to write home about for this Yankees squad in the World Series, as their big bats have been neutralized by the Dodgers’ pitching staff. CF Aaron Judge is a dismal 1-12 at the plate (0.083 batting average), and New York’s only RBIs in Game 3 came from LF Alex Verdugo, who hit a two-run HR in the bottom of the ninth. Even though this provided a small spark, it was too little too late for the Bronx Bombers.
If New York wants to extend this series, they’ll need Judge, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton to all step up, as they’re the heart and soul of this Yankees lineup. Luckily for them, Judge and Stanton are a combined 7-16 against Dodgers starter Ryan Brasier, so they could do some damage in the first inning tonight.
The Yankees are in a must-win situation, but I don’t like their chances of extending this series to a Game 5 in the Bronx. For them to win, Aaron Judge has to wake up from his postseason slumber, as he’s posted a 0.140 postseason batting average. Additionally, Luis Gil hasn’t exactly been lights out this postseason, as he’s started just one game against the Cleveland Guardians, where he recorded 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 BB and 3 SO.
Because of this, I expect the Dodgers to jump all over the Yankees starter. Additionally, LAD has been coming out of the gates firing this series, as eight of their 14 runs have come in the first five innings, and four of the runs after the fifth were from Freeman’s walk-off Grand Slam in Game 1. Finally, Gil already faced this Dodgers squad back in June, when he allowed three earned runs in 5.2 innings, two of which came in the third inning. Therefore, I expect Gil to struggle from the start tonight and give up plenty of runs to an elite Dodgers lineup.
Luke Lindholm is an avid basketball, baseball, football, hockey and soccer fan who specializes in writing promotional content for multiple sportsbooks and prediction-based articles across a variety of sports. His work has been featured on prominent websites including Sports Illustrated, Pickswise, Men’s Journal, TheStreet, Athlon Sports and more. He started as a college football handicapper for Pickswise in 2016 and is a current member of the Pickswise NFL handicapping team.