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If you’re not wagering with BookMaker Sportsbook then you’re just another square bettor. Shop for MLB lines where the pros do so register for your own betting account at BookMaker now! The World Series Game 5 contest pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the Houston Astros will commence Sunday, October 29, 2017, at 8:20 p.m. ET at Minute Maid Park. The matchup will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
The series is locked a two-games apiece. The pressure was on the Houston Astros to win Game 2. They did just that. The pressure was on the Los Angeles Dodgers to win Game 4 and they came through. Now, the pressure is back on the Astros who don’t want to send the series back to Los Angeles needed to win two games on the road.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Astros, apparently, are not unbeatable on at home. The Dodgers took the Houston bullpen to task—particularly Ken Giles and Joe Musgrove—in the ninth inning of Game 4, breaking the game open and getting the 6-2 win in what was a pitching duel tied at one through eight.
We knew the Astros’ bullpen was suspect after the Yankees took the pen to task in New York in the ALCS, but the struggles have continued. A.J. Hinch cannot continue going to Giles late. Houston now needs the rotation and the offense to make up for the faults of the pen.
The Dodgers’ bullpen hasn’t been nearly as untouchable as the stories coming into the World Series. Houston got to Kenley Jansen and crew in Game 2 and Alex Bregman took him yard in Game 4, although by that point the game was already won for L.A. The bullpen has been heavily used throughout October so fatigue is destined to set in.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
After short outings from Rich Hill and Yu Darvish, the Dodgers finally got some length from the starting rotation in Game 4 with Alex Wood’s 5.2 innings. They’ll look for even more than that with Clayton Kershaw returning to the mound in Game 5.
Kershaw dominated this Astros lineup in Game 1, tossing seven innings and allowing only one run on three hits. He struck out 11 in the outing without allowing a walk. The Houston batters were aggressive against him and his was making his pitches.
Dave Roberts made the decision to go to the bullpen after seven innings despite Kershaw only throwing 84 pitches. We’ll see if that decision pays off with a more rested hurler for Game 5.
If he’s rolling like he was in Game 1, Roberts may ask more of Kershaw after the heavily usage of Kenta Maeda in Game 3 and repeated use of Brandon Morrow.
There may be a lot on the shoulders of Kershaw in Game 5, but there’s not better pitcher in baseball to have put you on his shoulders. Kershaw’s a three-time Cy Young Award winner and five-time ERA leader for a reason. Yes, he’s that good.
While we can typically count on Kershaw for a great pitching performance, the same can be said about the Astros’ starter: Dallas Keuchel. That’s especially true at home.
Keuchel went 14-5 with a 2.90 ERA this year in 23 starts. On the road he was okay, pitching to a 3.53 ERA in 12 starts. He had a 2.26 ERA in 11 home starts. That trend has been true his entire career. The lefty is below .500 on the road with a 4.43 ERA in 77 career games. He’s 36-21 with a 2.94 ERA in 81 appearances at Minute Maid Park.
Keuchel pitched well on the road in Game 1. He allowed a pair of homers which did him—and the Astros—in. Outside of Chris Taylor’s leadoff shot and Justin Turner’s two run bomb in the sixth, he was virtually unhittable, going toe-to-toe with Kershaw. Given the home/road splits, the numbers suggest we could see better numbers from the Astros’ southpaw in Game 5. He certainly looked better at home than on the road in the ALCS against the Yankees. Of course, the Yankees’ tore him up in his second start of the series when not only were the Yankees at home, but New York also got a chance to see him less than a week earlier and adjust.
LIVE BETTING
The awakening of Houston’s offense was the storyline throughout the final games of the ALCS and, again, in Game 2 of the World Series.
The Astros have a potent attack at the plate. The team led baseball in runs scored, offering power, speed and OBP. Up-and-down the order anyone can do damage, but in Game 4, Houston managed to get just two hits. They were both homers, but Houston couldn’t mount any sort of rally.
Los Angeles was held nearly as quiet with the bats through the first eight frames of Game 4. Morton, Will Harris and Chris Devenski combined to allowed four hits and one runs. From there, L.A. broke the game open with a crooked number in the ninth.
The Dodgers’ lit up Giles, but against the rotation of Houston, the Dodgers’ bats have been held in check.
QUICK PICK
Momentum is back in the Dodgers’ favor. For those that believe momentum is only as good as the next day’s starter, that favors the Dodgers as well.
Look for another pitchers’ duel like we saw in Game 1. Kershaw was lights out and should be adequately rest. Keuchel is at home where he’s most comfortable. If we expected both starters to go nine innings, this one could be a tossup, but in today’s game, we don’t see many starters going the distance.
This game should be close late. We should see little early scoring, leaving pressure on the pens and we cannot trust Houston’s relief pitching right now.
MLB Odds: Dodgers 4, Astros 3
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