The 2024 MLB World Series is here and it’s time to lock in those MLB Best Bets Today for Game 2 between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. Friday night’s Game 1 was a fun series opener. Let’s now turn our focus to Game 2 on Saturday night. 

Before Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts, and Juan Soto do battle once more, let’s find some winning MLB picks today. Check out these top MLB predictions for World Series Game 2 between the Yankees and Dodgers.

 

 

 

MLB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 10/26

As always, be sure to shop around for the best Vegas Odds and Lines at different sportsbooks. The odds in this article below are accurate as of this writing. 

Without further ado, let’s check out my MLB best bets and props for World Series Game 2.

 

 

 

Yankees vs. Dodgers Prediction: Saturday, October 26th; World Series Game 2

How about last night's dramatic Dodgers victory in Game 1 with a Freddie Freeman walk-off home run in the 10th inning?! Let's do it all again with Saturday night's World Series Game 2 matchup. It'll be Carlos Rodon for the Yankees against Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers to start. Both pitchers have shown flashes of brilliance this postseason and a clutch start from either could go a long way to determining the series. 

Rodon had that one great outing against Cleveland in Game 1 of the ALCS, but he was shakier in his two other postseason starts. The Yankees’ left-hander coughed up 4 runs over 3.2 innings against the Royals in the ALDS and allowed 2 runs and 5 hits over 4.2 innings against the Guardians in ALCS Game 5. Overall, he has a 4.40 ERA over three playoff starts this month. 

This is a notably tough matchup for Rodon on the road. First off, his home/road splits are not in his favor here. Rodon has a 4.69 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and .261 batting average allowed on the road in the regular season compared to a 3.11 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and .204 BAA at home. Then there’s the potent Los Angeles lineup that crushes lefties. 

During the regular season against left-handed pitching, the Dodgers had a .341 wOBA (2nd in MLB), 121 wRC+ (1st), .795 OPS (1st), and 19.8% K rate (3rd). Most of LA’s top hitters have a very good OPS vs. southpaws this season, including Shohei Ohtani (.867), Mookie Betts (.852), Teoscar Hernandez (.931), and Tommy Edman (1.299). Edman’s breakout this postseason makes the Dodgers offense even more dangerous. 

Their success against opposing lefties was especially evident in the NLCS. The Dodgers faced a left-handed Mets starter in the final three games of the NLCS and scored 12 runs across 9 combed innings against Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, and David Peterson. They rocked Manaea for 5 runs in the Game 6 clincher and plated 5 runs against Quintana in Game 4 as well. This offense comes in with a ton of confidence that it can hit lefty starters and should get to Rodon early. 

Meanwhile, Yamamoto comes in with plenty of upside. After tossing 5 shutout innings in the NLDS against the Padres, the Japanese right-hander was also very effective in NLCS Game 4 when he struck out 8 over 4.1 innings with 2 runs allowed. He has a .182 batting average allowed in his past two starts and seems to be in a groove after some previous struggles. 

When Yamamoto is on, he can be as unhittable as any pitcher in the sport. His splitter and curveball are elite pitches at his best and can confuse the swing-happy Yankees, who are prone to striking out. Yamamoto’s stuff can limit the Yankee hitters just enough in his first two times through the lineup, at least. He tossed 7 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts vs. New York back in June. 

The Dodgers will likely dive into the bullpen in the fifth or sixth inning to finish things out behind Yamamoto. With an off day in between Games 2 and 3, they can feel good about using all of their top relievers. The Dodgers bullpen has been very effective this month with a 3.16 ERA in the postseason. Of course, the Yanks have Soto, Judge, and Stanton who can go deep at any point. But if LA can avoid those big swings, the rest of the NY lineup is very beatable. 

 

 

 

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