World Series Odds Preview: Dodgers vs Astros

The first pitch of the 2017 World Series will be thrown Tuesday night, as the Los Angeles Dodgers play host to the Houston Astros in Game 1.

With the Dodgers having home-field advantage in the series, the oddsmakers at Bovada Sportsbook have listed them as a -165 favorite in the series, while the Astros are a +145 underdog. At home in the postseason so far, the Dodgers are a perfect 4-0, and if you include the regular season they’ve won eight straight at Dodger Stadium. Houston’s road record in the playoffs leaves a lot to be desired, as they are 1-4 in five games, including losing their last three games at Yankee Stadium.

The pitching matchup in the series opener is a battle of aces with Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 2.31) getting the ball for the Dodgers and Dallas Keuchel (14-5, 2.90) taking the mound for Houston. With the Dodgers playing at home and having arguably the best pitcher in baseball on the hill, they’re a -173 favorite in Game 1 at Bovada Sportsbook. Houston is a +148 underdog.

If you’re looking for prop bets on Game 1, both pitchers have strikeout props at Bovada Sportsbook, with the total for each set at 6.5. For Kershaw the OVER is favored at -150, while the UNDER is listed at +120. In three starts in the postseason this year, Kershaw has only 16 strikeouts, much lower than the 7.5 strikeouts per game he averaged during the season.

For Keuchel’s strikeout prop, the OVER is also favored at -140, while the UNDER is at +110. Keuchel has 25 strikeouts in three playoff starts and during the regular season he averaged nearly 5.5 per game.

Looking ahead to the rest of the series, in Game 2 the expected pitching matchup will be Justin Verlander (15-8, 3.36) for Houston and Rich Hill (12-8, 3.32) for Los Angeles. Verlander, the ALCS MVP, faced the Dodgers earlier this season while with the Detroit Tigers, picking up a win after holding them to one run on two hits over eight strong innings. Hill faced Houston twice last season while with the Oakland Athletics, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.25 ERA.

For Game 3, Houston has yet to confirm its starter, while the Dodgers will go with Yu Darvish (10-12, 3.86). Darvish has the most experience against Houston among Dodgers starters, having faced them twice this season while with the Texas Rangers. In those two starts, Darvish was 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA.