The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers will face off in the 2017 World Series, ensuring baseball a different World Series Champion than we’ve seen in the last 29 years. The Dodgers have a storied history, but haven’t been to the Fall Classic since 1988. The Astros were there in 2005, but have never won. We have two dominant offenses and a couple big name starting pitchers lined up for what should be a great series.
This series will begin on Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 8 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The World Series will be televised nationally on FOX, beginning with Game 1.
Bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
Starting Pitching Matchups
Both starting rotations are rather stacked at the top, but the Dodgers have the better depth in the last two spots.
Los Angeles will open the series with Clayton Kershaw on the mound after he pitched in the deciding Game 5 of the NLCS.
Kershaw made a statement last series, going 11 innings and allowing only three runs. Kershaw’s regular season has been historic through his first 10 years, but in seven seasons in the postseason, including 11 different postseason series, he’s 6-7 with a 4.40 ERA. The lefty’s NLCS performance was a big step in the right direction.
In the series opener, the Astros will counter with a southpaw of their own, turning to Dallas Keuchel.
Keuchel was lights out against the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS, but struggled the second time around in Game 5. Keuchel has pronounced home/road splits over his career. That could explain the stark difference between his ALCS performances. He’s lined up to pitch Game 1 on the road and Game 5 at home for the World Series.
After Keuchel in Game 1, the Astros will send Justin Verlander to the hill in Game 2. Verlander is the real ace of the staff and has been lights-out since he arrived in Houston. He went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five regular season games. In the postseason, he’s 4-0 with a 1.46 ERA through 24.2 innings.
The Astros have run Verlander hard since the start of October, but he’s risen to the occasion each time. Like Kershaw, Verlander has tons of postseason experience. Unlike Kershaw, Verlander has enjoyed a great deal of success over the years though he’s still searching for his first World Series ring. That’ll give him plenty of motivation.
Verlander’s last two starts have been particularly impressive. In those two starts, both against a fearsome New York Yankees’ lineup, he combined for 16 innings, allowing one run, 10 hits and two walks while striking out 21.
There’s no doubt the tandem of Keuchel and Verlander can match up with any one-two punch, but the last two spots in the rotation are the questions.
Charlie Morton figures to fill one spot after five shutout innings against the Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS. Morton’s a good pitcher when he’s on, but he allowed seven runs without getting out of the fourth inning in his Game 3 loss.
The fourth spot for the Astros has changed. Lance McCullers Jr. got the Game 4 start in the ALCS. Brad Peacock was the other starter in the ALDS. Peacock’s regular season numbers are great, but he was the only pitcher the Red Sox offense could handle in the ALDS. McCullers has the better stuff, but his health has been an issue.
McCullers took the ball after Morton in Game 7 of the ALCS. He and Morton combined for a three-hitter in nine shutout innings. That’s encouraging, but can Morton replicate that or will he look more like the Game 3 nightmare? Can McCullers’ remain healthy? After those two, Peacock and Colin McHugh are the other options.
The middle of the Astros’ rotation isn’t bad, but the Dodgers have been going with Yu Darvish as their Game 3 starter. Alex Wood started Game 4 for L.A. last series.
Wood struggled in his lone postseason start, but he was taking the ball after a huge hiatus. He didn’t get into the NLDS and was rusty. He looked it, too. He’ll be pitching on a lot less rest in the World Series.
Darvish got the win in both of his postseason starts. He’s allowed two runs in 11.1 combined innings while striking out 14. He’s been a dominant right-handed option to break up the Dodgers’ left-handed heavy rotation.
After Kershaw in the Dodgers’ rotation, Rich Hill has been getting the ball prior to Darvish. Hill’s position as the No. 2 starter is more about venue than anything. Hill’s been a much better starter at home and Dave Roberts to this point has been sure he’s gotten the ball at Dodger Stadium.
Hill’s delivered quality innings in return, though he’s not been going deep into games.
Offensive Comparison
The Astros were best offense in baseball throughout the regular season. While the postseason hasn’t been quite as smooth for the offense, we’ve seen Houston’s bats come alive at different points. The Astros took care of business against Chris Sale in the ALDS and the bats came to life in Games 6 and 7 of the ALCS when their backs were against the wall.
Overall, the Dodgers have been the most dominant postseason offense. In eight games, L.A. belted 13 home runs and scored 48 runs thanks to a .872 team OPS. All those figures dwarf what the Astros have put up here in October, but the larger sample size still points to Houston as the better offense—although it’s close.
One big question for the Dodgers is the health of Corey Seager. The Dodgers got on without him in the NLCS, but he’s a huge cog in the middle of the order.
The All-Star shortstop is dealing with an injured back, but the team seems optimistic he will be ready for Tuesday. He was left off the NLCS roster. If he’s on the roster and starting for the World Series that further deeps a lineup that was already clicking.
Seager, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger are the big three in this order, but others have played a huge role in the playoffs. Kike Hernandez is coming off a three-home run, seven RBI game. He’s a platoon player who rakes against southpaws like Dallas Keuchel. Yasiel Puig is batting .414 with a 1.169 OPS in the playoffs while Chris Taylor has a .410 OBP and even Austin Barnes has a .805 OPS.
In Houston, the offensive spark plug is Jose Altuve. He’s not only getting on base, driving in batters, extending rallies, he’s hammering the baseball. He has a team high five homers. The little guy is providing power, but this whole lineup can go yard at any moment. That, of course, is not to say there hasn’t been issues.
The Dodgers’ offense has been clicking, but Houston just started putting runs on the board the last two games after some early struggles at the plate in the ALCS. Josh Reddick, for instance, is completely lost at the dish. Carlos Beltran and Marwin Gonzalez have struggled, too.
Given Beltran’s struggles, the loss of the designated hitter in L.A. shouldn’t be as big of a deal as it is for some AL teams. Evan Gattis has gotten some DH at-bats, too. He’s been swinging a better bat, but the Astros are a team and shuffles through players at that spot.
Bullpen Breakdown
The bullpens for these two teams couldn’t be more different. Houston advanced to the World Series over the Yankees despite the bullpen, not because of it. One of the Dodgers’ biggest weapons over Chicago in the NLCS was a bullpen that barely allowed any base runners.
A.J. Hinch avoided his relief corps altogether in the crucial ALCS Game 7, opting instead to follow up Charlie Morton with Lance McCullers Jr. The two pitched all nine innings while Ken Giles, Chris Devenski, Joe Musgrove and Will Harris—amongst others—in the pen.
Houston knew that the bullpen was shallow during the regular season and tried to acquire three relief arms to help at the non-waiver trade deadline. All but one fell through, leaving Houston with Francisco Liriano as the only help. Later in the year, Joe Musgrove emerged as a strong bullpen arm after struggling in the rotation. He and Chris Devenski are the main set up options to get to Giles. In the postseason, the two have allowed seven runs in 5.2 combined innings. As for Giles, he has already blown a postseason save while allowing three walks and two homers in six postseason frames.
On the Dodgers’ side of the fence, the pen has been a complete 180 from where it has been the last few years. The bridge to Kenley Jansen has always been shaky, but Brandon Morrow and Kenta Maeda have emerged as reliable set up men to Jansen. Between Morrow, Maeda and Jansen, the Dodgers have received 23.1 innings in eight games, with only a signe run allowed and five hits. The trio has 27 postseason strikeouts.
In addition, L.A. has Tony Cingrani thriving in the role of a left-handed specialist.
Provided this series comes down to the bullpen—and in the playoffs, it usually does—the Dodgers are much better positioned late in games.
Quick Pick
Houston winning its first World Series title would be a great story, particularly in the year that Hurricane Harvey hit that city. Based on the matchup, however, it looks good for the Dodgers to end their 29-year World Series draught.
Both teams can rake and the Dodgers have been doing more of that to this point in the postseason. Houston’s bats looked back to midseason form at the end of the ALCS. Even if they can sustain it, L.A. and Houston are too close at the plate to allow Houston to minimize the huge gap in the bullpen.
The Dodgers are just too stacked. There are options upon options for Dave Roberts to choose from to help him get to Jansen who is the most lights-out closer in the game. Ken Giles is good, but he’s young and inexperienced on this big of a stage.
Look for the bullpen to make the difference in this series with the Dodgers winning a couple games late to push them to a series victory in six.
MLB Odds: Dodgers over Astros in Six
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
