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Brandon Lowe joins Mookie Betts atop World Series MVP power rankings through two games

The Rays won Game 2 of the World Series to even things up 1-1. We break down how the MVP race changed after the second game.

By David Fucillo
Brandon Lowe #8 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits a two run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning in Game Two of the 2020 MLB World Series at Globe Life Field on October 21, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Tampa Bay Rays evened things up in the 2020 World Series on Wednesday, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 to knot the series 1-1. Brandon Lowe was 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs netting him two runs and three RBIs to lead the way in the victory.

Rays starter Blake Snell got off to a strong start through 4 2⁄3 innings of pitching. He walked two batters in the second inning but otherwise was perfect heading into the fifth. His pitch count suggested he would not complete the game, but he seemed capable of nailing this down for the Rays stout bullpen. However, he walked Kiké Hernandez with two outs in the fifth and then gave up a home run to Chris Taylor. After walking Mookie Betts and giving up a single to Corey Seager, Snell’s night was done.

The Rays bullpen got out of the fifth inning, but gave up a pair of runs over the sixth and eighth innings to narrow their lead to 6-4. However, Aaron Loup and Diego Castillo closed out the final four batters to secure the win.

The Dodgers looked like they were going to dominate this series, but a bullpen game did not pan out for LA in Game 2. This evened up series shakes up a World Series MVP race that was fairly one-sided after Game 1. Plenty will change over the remaining however many games, but for now, Brandon Lowe joins Mookie Betts at the top of our MVP power rankings.

Corey Seager had three walks and a run scored in Game 1 and hit his seventh home run of the post season in Game 2, tying Randy Arozarena for the most playoff HRs in either league. The MVP race is for just the World Series, but he could get a bump for an overall strong postseason. Rays third baseman Joey Wendle joins the conversation a little further down courtesy of three RBIs on a double and sacrifice fly.

Here is how our MVP power rankings look after Game 2, with their pre-Series odds in parenthesis.

1. Mookie Betts (+900)
2. Brandon Lowe (+2800)
3. Clayton Kershaw (+1000)
4. Corey Seager (+1200)
5. Joey Wendle (+3000)
6. Aaron Loup (OTB)

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