The 2017 World Series is certainly shaping up to be one of the best ever. After thinking game two was perhaps one of the craziest World Series games played, game five completely changed this narrative. Game five was the second-highest scoring World Series game with the second-longest run time. After five hours and 17 minutes, the Houston Astros emerged with a 13-12 10-inning slugfest victory to take a three-games-to-two lead in the series. In game five, the Astros’ offense exploded yet again, hitting five home runs while rallying from three separate deficits, including two three-run deficits, to win in walk-off fashion. The Los Angeles Dodgers must be reeling from their game five loss, even with Clayton Kershaw on the mound. The Dodgers now face a must-win game six at home – let’s see how this game will likely play out. As far as I’m concerned, the World Series games so far have been huge rollercoaster rides at times – I’ll try my best to make sense of this game.
Why The Astros Might Win
The Astros couldn’t have hoped to be in a better position, after winning game five and no longer having to face Kershaw in the series, while having their best pitcher in Justin Verlander on the mound for a potential close-out game six. In Verlander’s game two start, he looked somewhat human, pitching six innings while allowing 2 H, 3 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, and 5 K. Of the two hits he allowed, both were home runs, which made things seem much worse than they were. Prior to game two of the World Series, Verlander was untouchable, having won four straight postseason starts this year and 10 in a row heading back to the regular season. Clearly, Verlander is the guy any team would want on the mound to close out the series – the Astros have just that. Additionally, you could have easily made the argument that the Dodgers could have, or should have, won games two and five. However, there’s a fine line between winning and losing, and the Dodgers were on the wrong end of things in both games. The Astros have all the momentum in the world, have their best starting pitcher on the mound, have exhausted the Dodgers’ seemingly unhittable bullpen, and have their offense rolling.
Why The Dodgers Might Win
If you’re the Dodgers, you must be experiencing a profound mix of emotions right now. While the offense certainly showed up in game five, the bullpen simply couldn’t get the job done in terms of holding onto leads. Heck, even Kershaw himself, after being given a 4-0 lead, gave up four runs right back to the Astros. It’s not looking so good right now for the Dodgers, as they’ll be given the tall task of having to beat Verlander – they were close in game two but ended up coughing a 3-1 lead. However, the Dodgers will be in the comforts of their home stadium, which should provide them with a bit of rejuvenation. Additionally, since the series has shifted back to the NL, the Astros will no longer have the luxury of a DH. Rich Hill, the starting pitcher for game six, was decent in his game two start against the Astros, pitching four innings while allowing 3 H, 1 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, and 7 K. He could have stayed in the game longer had it not been for Dave Roberts’ quick hook. The Dodgers know they can reel off two wins in a row – they just need to believe in the mission and execute.
Outlook
In World Series games, momentum and the manner in which games are won hold a lot of weight. The Astros have all the momentum in the world leading back to Los Angeles and won games two and five (arguably two of the best World Series games ever played) in impressive fashions. With the entire hurricane-ravaged city of Houston behind them, the Astros, riding their hot offense and Verlander, will close out game six and be crowned World Series Champions.
Pick: Astros -110
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