World Series Betting Odds Update

The World Series is knotted up at 2-2 heading into Game 5 on Thursday night with the Houston Astros hoping to ride ace Justin Verlander to a series lead over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The latest series odds at Bovada Sportsbook are tilted heavily toward the Astros. Houston is a -200 series favorite while the Phillies are listed at +170.

Houston back on top in World Series odds

Houston tied the series and regained home-field advantage with a 5-0 victory in a historic Game 4 on Wednesday night. Houston was a +100 road underdog at Bovada with Cristian Javier matching up against Phillies ace Aaron Nola. Javier got the last laugh with six no-hit innings as he and the Astros bullpen combined for a no-hitter, only the second in World Series history.

For Nola, it was a disappointing night as he allowed three runs on seven hits in only four-plus innings. All of Houston’s runs came in a five-run fifth inning with Alex Bregman providing a key two-run double.

With Verlander getting the call in Game 5, the Astros are -160 favorites at Bovada. To live up to those odds, the Astros will need Verlander to be better than he was in the series opener. In that game, the Phillies roughed up Verlander for five runs on six hits over five innings in a 6-5 Philadelphia win. In the postseason this year, Verlander has been inconsistent with a 1-0 record and 7.20 ERA through three starts.

Phils turn to Syndergaard for Game 5 start

The Phillies will start Noah Syndergaard in Game 5. It will be his first outing of the World Series and judging by his stats in the postseason so far, the Phillies bullpen could be in for a busy night. Syndergaard’s longest outing in the postseason so far was three innings against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. The last time he pitched, in a relief appearance against the San Diego Padres in the NLCS, he went only 1.1 innings.

For totals bettors, it has been all UNDER the last two games. The series started with an OVER in the Phillies’ 6-5 Game 1 win, but runs haven’t been as plentiful since. Both Game 3 and Game 4 went UNDER the 7.5 total with back-to-back shutouts – 7-0 for Philadelphia in Game 3 and 5-0 for Houston in Game 4. The total remains at 7.5 in Game 5.