Dodgers vs. Astros Pick
Are the Houston Astros going to win a third straight game over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday night in Game 4 of the World Series? First pitch is at 8:20PM EST.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Astros are listed as a -137 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Dodgers are a +117 underdog and the over-under is set at 8.5 runs.
Game 3 was won 5-3 by Houston as it took a 2-1 lead in the World Series via a second straight win. These are the first three games the two teams have played since 2015. The over-under has gone 1-1-1.
Pitching for Los Angeles will be Alex Wood (16-3, 2.72 ERA), while the Astros counter with Charlie Morton (14-7, 3.62). Wood had a 1.06 WHIP with 151 strikeouts in 152 1/3 innings during the regular season. In his lone postseason start, he gave up three earned runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks over 4 2/3 innings in a 3-2 loss at the Cubs on Oct. 18 in the NLCS. Wood is 9-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 76 home innings this season. Morton carried a 1.19 WHIP with 163 strikeouts over 146 2/3 innings during the regular season. He has a 6.23 ERA in 13 postseason innings, with a WHIP of 1.54 and 14 strikeouts. Morton threw five shutout innings in the Game 7 4-0 win over the Yankees, giving up two hits with five strikeouts and one walk. Morton is 10-3 at home with a 3.34 ERA in 97 innings of work.
Game 3 saw a four-run second inning propel Houston to the victory. Yuli Gurriel was 2-for-5 with a home run and a double. Josh Reddick finished 2-for-4 with two runs. Brian McCann was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Lance McCullers Jr. allowed three earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts and four walks over 5 1/3 innings to get the win. Brad Peacock picked up the save as he gave up no runs on no hits with four strikeouts and one walk over 3 2/3 innings. Justin Turner went 1-for-4 with a double and a run, while Yasiel Puig was 1-for-4 with an RBI for the Dodgers. Yu Darvish took the loss as he surrendered four earned runs on six hits with no strikeouts and one walk over 1 2/3 innings.
Houston is 16-5 in its last 21 playoff home games. Los Angeles is 21-7 in its last 28 games against American League opponents.
Houston has a bunch of lefty mashers in its batting lineup and it gets to face Wood, who has only made one start over the past 30 days. Morton bounced back from a rough start by looking sharp against the Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS. The Astros are extremely tough at home and if it jumps out to an early lead, it can ride relievers such as Chris Devenski in the latter innings. The one question mark is whether Houston will deploy Ken Giles for another save opportunity considering his massive struggles in the postseason. But the argument can be made that with Giles’ strong regular season, he could bounce out of this funk in any given game. We like the Astros to extend the series lead to 3-1.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: HOUSTON ASTROS -137
