Astros Series +150 Going to be scorchers for the first 2 games in LA(especially Game 1). The winds might shift mid-game from coming in toward the plate to going out to the fences later on. Keuchel keeps the ball down very well, and so Kershaw might have more of an issue with HRs. Still…I doubt it really effects the outcome all that much. Kershaw may be the best pitcher in the MLB the last many years, but has often faded in his post-season starts.
I really like the Astros at this number considering home field advantage is less so in baseball than in football and B-ball. The Dodgers might have a very slight edge in this series, so +150 seems generous. I also like the make-up of this Astros team. They played incredibly well on the road all year, scoring more runs away than the 2nd place hitting team by almost 100 runs. They never went into a long losing streak, recovered nicely from the 3 games in Yankee Stadium, and don't have any big flaws. Their bullpen is average, but AJ Hinch has reliable starters available to fill in the gap as we could see with Mccullers in Game 7. They can hit for power, have the fewest strikeouts of any MLB team this year, and have decent speed on the base paths.
The pressure is on the Dodgers being a media darling, being in LA where Dodgers fans expect winning, and having the huge payroll. They might have also had the benefit of a somewhat down NL this year, with few equals other than the Nats. NL West pitching was also mediocre, although the Astros stats did have the benefit of the DH. I just think the Astros have had to fight harder for wins this year, and even though Hurricane Harvey has no real effect on the series, can't you see the story at the end…"Houston Wins Series for a Town that Needed Some Good News"? In reality, Houston really does need something to cheer about, and they love their Astros.
Smaller Play: Altuve wins MVP +785 He's a gamer, and has more big hits this year than anyone in baseball.
I really like the Astros at this number considering home field advantage is less so in baseball than in football and B-ball. The Dodgers might have a very slight edge in this series, so +150 seems generous. I also like the make-up of this Astros team. They played incredibly well on the road all year, scoring more runs away than the 2nd place hitting team by almost 100 runs. They never went into a long losing streak, recovered nicely from the 3 games in Yankee Stadium, and don't have any big flaws. Their bullpen is average, but AJ Hinch has reliable starters available to fill in the gap as we could see with Mccullers in Game 7. They can hit for power, have the fewest strikeouts of any MLB team this year, and have decent speed on the base paths.
The pressure is on the Dodgers being a media darling, being in LA where Dodgers fans expect winning, and having the huge payroll. They might have also had the benefit of a somewhat down NL this year, with few equals other than the Nats. NL West pitching was also mediocre, although the Astros stats did have the benefit of the DH. I just think the Astros have had to fight harder for wins this year, and even though Hurricane Harvey has no real effect on the series, can't you see the story at the end…"Houston Wins Series for a Town that Needed Some Good News"? In reality, Houston really does need something to cheer about, and they love their Astros.
Smaller Play: Altuve wins MVP +785 He's a gamer, and has more big hits this year than anyone in baseball.