This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
MLB Best Bets & Props for World Series Game 3
Texas Rangers at Arizona Diamondbacks
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After a wildly dramatic League Championship round of play, the World Series features the first-ever five-seed vs six-seed. Since 2016, every World Series through 2021 featured at least a one-seeded team, who had the best record during the regular season and mostly an opponent that was no worse than a two-seed. Not until last year when the Philadelphia Phillies were the last team to make the playoffs as a six-seed and then went on to shock the baseball world by winning the NL Championship. This year the barking underdogs took control as the five-seed Texas Rangers blew their AL West division lead in the final week, but still found a way to win games and the ALCS.
The team that few people outside of Phoenix, Arizona saw making a run to the World Series was the Arizona Diamondbacks. Consider the fact that the Chicago Cubs went 5-17 over their final 22 games of the regular season and if they had won just one more game, they and not the Diamondbacks would have been in the playoffs.
New Stars Are Born
The playoff season has left the Divisional winners all at home and has given birth to a new wave of potential superstar players. Corey Seager has been the face of the Rangers' franchise and he delivered a terrific regular season batting .327 with a .390 on-base percentage including 33 home runs and 96 RBI.
The Ranger's right fielder Adolis Garcia has been in the league for five seasons, but has been a full-time starter for the past three seasons. He batted .245 with a .328 OBP, including 39 home runs and 107 RBI. He has taken his game to new heights of stardom in the playoffs batting .339 with eight home runs and 22 RBI in 14 games. He has gone hitless in just two playoff games and went hitless in the Game 2 loss.
For the Diamondbacks, rookie sensation Corbin Carroll was voted in as an All-Star and batted .285 with 25 home runs, 76 RBI and an impressive 54 stolen bases. His power has been missing so far in the playoffs, but he has still batted .296 with a .381 OBP and 10 RBI in 14 playoff games. He is on a current five-game hitting streak batting .363.
The Game 3 Starters
The starting pitcher matchup features the Rangers sending veteran and future Hall-of-Famer Max Scherzer to the hill. In 12 career starts against the Diamondbacks, he has posted a 9-0 record (11-1 team record) with a 2.65 ERA and a 0.872 WHIP. His last start againt them, though, was on July 4, and the Diamondbacks tagged him four earned runs over six innings of work. He is also coming off a extended period of time dealing with a shoulder issue that has kept his most recent starts far shorter than usual for his playoff career. For this year's playoffs, Scherzer is 0-1 in two starts with a 9.45 ERA and a 1.799 WHIP over just 6.2 innings of work.
A budding star will be on the hill for the Diamondbacks in Brandon Pfaadt, who had two visits back to Triple-A before getting it figured out and has pitched extraordinarily well in the playoffs. In four playoff starts, he is 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.080 WHIP including 22 strikeouts and just three walks spanning 16.2 innings of work. He pitched badly overall in the regular season with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.359 WHIP in 22 starts spanning 106.2 innings of work. He was incredibly effective against the Phillies' powerhouse offensive lineup completing four innings, allowing just two earned runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. Making it even more impressive is that it was on the road where the hosts do have a home-field advantage with the crowd noise, but then there is the Philadelphia fan base that has taken many starters out of their game in past postseason games.
The starting pitching edge goes to Pfaadt in this Game 3 matchup.
The Game 3 Betting Algorithms
The following betting algorithm has produced a solid money-making 25-15 record averaging a -111 wager and earning a 26% ROI in World Series games over the past 15 seasons. The requirements are:
· In the World Series
· Bet on a team that lost its previous game.
· That team's bullpen has posted a 1.25 or lower WHIP over their previous 15 games.
This supports a betting opportunity on the Texas Rangers using the money currently priced at -110 as offered at DraftKings.
Player Props for the World Series
Brandon Pfaadt Under 14.5 recorded outs -130
Marcus Semien 2 or more hits +175
Adolis Garcia 2 or more hits +265
Mitch Garver to hit a home run +450
Christian Walker to hit a home run +425