The Milwaukee Brewers have become the betting market’s new heavyweight after taking a 3-0 lead over the Dodgers in the NLCS, while Los Angeles has been knocked all the way to the bottom of the remaining World Series contenders.
That shift comes after the back-to-back champions were sitting in a solid position in Game 3 at home. The Dodgers had entered the NLCS as the World Series favorite, then lost the first two games in Milwaukee. Back in Los Angeles, they still held a 2-1 lead heading into the seventh inning before the game slipped away.
Dave Roberts stayed with Blake Snell, and Milwaukee made the decision hurt. Jake Bauers launched a two-run homer, Garrett Mitchell followed with a solo shot, and the Brewers grabbed a 4-2 lead they never gave back.
With that win, Milwaukee moved to the doorstep of its first World Series trip since 1982. Oddsmakers have now made the Brewers odds-on favorites to win the title.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are listed at +1100 to win the World Series and +800 to pull off the rare comeback and win four straight in the NLCS. Only the 2024 Boston Red Sox have ever erased a 3-0 series hole in MLB history.
The Dodgers do still have two home games left to try to claw back into the series, and they are favored Thursday night with Tyler Glasnow on the mound. But the bigger picture has already changed in a hurry. Milwaukee, after getting swept by Los Angeles in last year’s NLCS, suddenly looks headed for a return to the Fall Classic.
The odds movement wasn’t limited to the National League. In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays climbed to +300 to win the World Series before Thursday afternoon’s Game 3 against the Cleveland Guardians.
Those clubs split the first two games in Tampa Bay, and Cleveland is favored at home in Game 3. Even so, the market appears to expect Tampa Bay to win later in the series against a Guardians team that was barely above .500 at home during the regular season.
The winner of Game 3 is likely to be the series favorite, though the Rays are currently slight favorites at -135 to advance to their first World Series since 2020.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
In Other News...
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Rays Fans Are Turning The Trop Into A Playoff Lifeline
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The scene had a little extra novelty, too, with watch-party ticket holders getting a rare chance to go out on the field and toss the ball around. And there is more of it coming, since the Trop is set to host another watch party for Game 4 on Friday at 6 p.m., with tickets still available online. [Read more 🡒]