Here We Go — Rays vs Dodgers

 

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The Tampa Bay Rays against the Los Angeles Dodgers is, to many, an unequal match. The Rays had the best record in the American League, but the Dodgers had a better record in the National League. The Dodgers payroll has got individual players with larger salaries than the entire Rays roster. 

The Rays have played 14 games over the last couple of weeks, winning 9. The Dodgers have played just 12, also winning 9. I don't know if that's an advantage or disadvantage. However, I would guess that the Rays are happy to get out of San Diego. They've been in that "bubble" for a long time.

The folks over at FiveThirtyEight have numbers that show the Dodgers as heavy favorites:

They might even go so far as to pick the Dodgers in four — but they would have done the same in the NLCS, which went seven.

We are left with hope, youth, and managerial skills.