If your favorite baseball team isn't playing tonight, make the games more interesting by betting on MLB odds at BookMaker Sportsbook! This is the only online wagering outlet that offers early MLB moneylines, runlines and totals. First pitch for the game between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled for Tuesday, October 24, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium. The matchup will be televised nationally on FOX.
The World Series kicks off on Tuesday and it’s a big moment for both the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers. For Houston, the storyline writes itself. The city was ravished by Hurricane Harvey and the Astros’ success provides a nice get-away for fans. For the Dodgers, this is a team that hasn’t been to the Fall Classic in 29 years despite the game’s highest payroll and five consecutive NL West crowns. There was always something in the way, but this is the best—most balanced—Dodgers’ team in a long time.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Dodgers have been here before and won the World Series before, but not since Clayton Kershaw was only a year old. This is uncharted territory for both teams. Houston has never won a World Series so both teams have plenty of history to overcome.
To get here, the Dodgers had the cleaner path. Los Angeles blew through the Arizona Diamondbacks in three games in the NLDS and then took the NLCS over the Chicago Cubs in five.
This postseason, L.A. hasn’t had to deal with many setbacks. It bounced back from its sole loss in commanding fashion with a 11-1 win, but its chances of advancing to the World Series were never truly in jeopardy.
The same cannot be said for the Astros. Their path to the Fall Classic took them to Game 7 of the ALCS. After taking a 2-0 lead in the series at home, the Astros lost three straight on the road, falling behind 2-3 and heading home needing to win two straight to advance. The team did just that.
Houston’s proven it can win with its backs against the wall, but not on the road. Houston is 1-4 away from Minute Maid Park this postseason though the Astros were better on the road than at home in the regular season.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
You can’t get much better than this Game 1 matchup, unless it was Justin Verlander on the hill for the Astros, but he’ll take the ball in Game 2.
To start the series, the Astros will turn to their other ace in Dallas Keuchel while the Dodgers look to Clayton Kershaw.
Kershaw has been fighting his previous postseason demons. The best starter of our generation in the regular season, Kershaw has been surprisingly hittable in October during his career.
His inability to dominate in the playoffs has been the one knock on his resume, but if the NLCS is any indication, he may be overcoming that. He started two games in that series, Game 1 and Game 5. L.A. won both of those games and the southpaw allowed only three runs and seven hits in 11 total innings.
Kershaw’s postseason struggles have been a bit overblown in the past and his numbers haven’t been good based on the team’s need for him to go deep into games. The Dodgers’ bullpen in past seasons didn’t have a good bridge to Kenley Jansen in the ninth. This year, the Dodgers’ bullpen has dominated the postseason, taking pressure off the team’s ace.
On Keuchel’s side of the matchup, the Astro’s southpaw had two very different starts in the ALCS. In Game 1, he shut down the Yankees in seven innings, striking out 10. In Game 5, he couldn’t get out of the fifth, allowing four runs. He still raked up the strikeouts, but couldn’t get the big outs when he needed.
Keuchel’s been an ace at home in his career, but a mid-rotation arm on the road. That was the biggest difference between his two ALCS starts and he will make this start on the road where he’s got a 4.43 career ERA. His career mark at home is 2.94.
LIVE BETTING
The Astros and Dodgers don’t have a whole lot of head-to-head numbers to compare, but Jose Altuve has faced Kershaw 15 times, collecting six hits—including four doubles. That’s some pretty good success.
Altuve has had a great postseason, building on his MVP caliber regular season. He’s producing a .400/.500/.775 slash line with five homers in his 11 games. In addition to him, Yuri Gurriel, Carlos Correa and Evan Gattis are also having strong postseasons.
Playing in L.A. could impact Gattis’s playing time. Brian McCann is the regular catcher and much better defensively behind the dish. He figures to get most of the starts leaving Gattis on the bench in games without the DH.
Outside of those mentioned, the rest of the Houston lineup hasn’t lived up to regular season numbers here in October. Josh Reddick, in particular, is ice cold. He was 0-for the ALCS. George Springer has the most strikeouts on the team. Springer and Reddick were the team’s top two hitters—at least against righties—and that’s stunted the team’s offense without them on base.
Along with some struggling bats, the Astros bullpen was a mess in the ALCS. The rotation was strong enough to overcome that. Chris Devenski and Joe Musgrove need to be better to setup Ken Giles who has great stuff, but was a bit rattled himself against the Yankees.
For Los Angeles, the whole team seems to be clicking this postseason. The bullpen was unhittable against the Cubs. Brandon Morrow and Kenta Maeda have become the prime set up men with Tony Cingrani a dangerous left-handed specialist.
Kenley Jansen, of course, is one of the best in the game and completely lights out when he comes into the game. He’s shown, in the past, the ability to go multiple innings when needed.
At the dish, Justin Turner has led this team. He’s the Dodgers’ Altuve with a .387/.500/.677 slash line. He’s hit three homers and driven in 12 in eight games. If there’s one player the Astros don’t want to beat them, it’s Turner.
Even if they pitch around Turner, however, there are enough other bats to get the job done. Yasiel Puig is having a great post season with a .414 average. Enrique Hernandez destroys left-handed pitching as we saw in Game 5 of the NLCS when he hit three homers and drove in seven.
All reports indicated that Corey Seager will be available for the World Series, too. That’s a huge boast to an offense that was already clicking on all cylinders.
QUICK PICK
The postseason stigma is behind Kershaw. He can go out and be Kershaw. Meanwhile, Keuchel hasn’t proven he can take a team on his shoulders while away from home.
The deeper we get into the bullpens in this game, the bigger the pitching advantage skews towards the Dodgers. Meanwhile, the offense in L.A. has had the better postseason as well.
Look for Los Angeles to grab the early advantage in this series.
MLB Odds: Dodgers 6, Astros 3
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