Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Houston Astros entered the postseason as the World Series favorites, and nothing the Washington Nationals have accomplished so far in these playoffs has changed that – yet. The Astros are consensus -194 home favorites to take Game 1 against the Nationals on Tuesday on the MLB odds and even bigger chalk at -225 to earn their second MLB championship in three years at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Of course, Washington will definitely have something to say about that and could change the course of the World Series with a victory in Game 1 and/or 2 at Houston. The Nationals are +180 underdogs (bet $100 to win $180) on the odds to win the World Series but seem to at least have a starting rotation that can match up well with the Astros, beginning with ace Max Scherzer (11-7, 2.92 ERA), who gets the nod in the opener opposite Gerrit Cole (20-5, 2.50 ERA).
Scherzer is +167 in Game 1 and has past experience pitching in the World Series as a member of the Detroit Tigers with Houston’s Justin Verlander back in 2012.
Cole will be competing at this top level for the first time in his career and has a big payday coming up this offseason as an impending free agent. He has done just about everything he can to help the Astros get to this point and sits neck-and-neck with Verlander for the American League Cy Young Award.
While Verlander topped off his candidacy with a no-hitter on September 1, Cole has not lost a decision since May 22.
The biggest concern for the Nationals other than their opponent is their extended time off heading into the World Series, as they have not played since completing a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series on October 15. Houston knocked out the New York Yankees in Game 6 of the ALCS on Saturday.
In 2012, Scherzer and Verlander teamed up to help sweep the Yankees with the Tigers and enjoyed a similarly long break before getting swept by the San Francisco Giants.
These teams have met only three times since 2014, with Washington winning twice two years ago and going 14-2 in the past 16 meetings dating back to 2011. The Astros still resided in the NL back then before moving to the AL in 2013. The Nationals have also won five in a row versus AL opponents and own a 14-6 record in their previous 20, with the OVER cashing in the last four at sports betting sites.
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