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Game 5 of the World Series was one of the craziest games that we can remember. The homeruns were flying and the bullpens were spent. The best pitcher in the world, Clayton Kershaw, blew not only a 4-0 lead but also a 7-4 lead. It was bonkers and now the Astros are now just one game away from their first ever World Series championship. It’ll be really interesting to see how this game goes as the bullpens are pretty well spent, but there are two bonafide aces on the mound.
Justin Verlander has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past decade and tonight could be the crowning achievement of his career. No pressure. He’s pitched quite well in the playoffs. He has an ERA under three and a WHIP under one. This game feels strangely must-win for the Astros as Verlander is their best pitching option and game seven on the road is a dangerous situation.
The Dodgers send Rich Hill to the mound and he could be the cause of all the Dodgers’ troubles in this series. Not him per se, but Rich Hill being pulled after four innings in game two is what started the exhaustion of the LA bullpen. If he pitches like he did in that game, but for a longer period of time we could see this series advance. The question remains, does Roberts trust him? Can he hold up for six or more innings? These are the questions that could decide the Dodger season.
Houston Astros vs Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Tips:
It feels like game four was the Dodgers putting their best foot forward and losing. They had Clayton Kershaw on the mound, they had multiple multi-run leads, they used Kenley Jensen in high leverage situations and like the White Walkers in Game of Thrones, the Astros just kept coming. They wouldn’t be stopped and they grabbed the win. Do they have a bullpen? Not really, but neither do the Dodgers and the Astros have Justin Verlander in this one.
Game 5 will go down as one of the craziest games in baseball history and it could go down as the deciding game of the World Series. I love Rich Hill as a pitcher, but I love Verlander more in this one. The Astros were third in MLB this year against lefties and that should serve them well in getting Hill out of the game and into the bullpen. That’s where the win will happen and the Series will be decided.
We like the Astros -108 to win it all tonight.
NHL Betting Tips:
The Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets are basically the same team. Their goals scored/goals allowed per game is practically the same, their power play percentage on defense is basically the same and their shot percentages are equal. The difference in this one is two things: the Wild are home and the Wild are hitting on a much higher percentage of their power plays. The Wild -144 is a good value tonight as they go for their third straight win.
