The 2018 edition of the World Series gets underway from historic Fenway Park as the Boston Red Sox welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers for the latest Fall Classic. Boston made it to the World Series by winning the American League East and then defeating the New York Yankees in the ALDS and the defending World Series champion Houston Astros in the ALCS. The Dodgers won the National League West in Game 163, knocking off Colorado in the tiebreaker and then eliminating Atlanta in the NLDS. Against Milwaukee, the Dodgers needed all seven games to advance from the NLCS, but now they find themselves one series away from the Commissioner’s Trophy. Take a look at our World Series betting preview for the Dodgers vs Red Sox.
Dodgers vs Red Sox World Series Game 1 Odds & Preview
When: Tuesday, October 23, 2018, 8:09pm ET
Where: Fenway Park, Boston
TV: FOX
Radio: ESPN Radio
Live Stream: MLB.tvWorld Series Game 1 Odds: Los Angeles +130 / Boston -150Projected Pitching Matchup: Clayton Kershaw (9-5, 2.73 ERA) (LA) vs Chris Sale (13-4, 2.19 ERA) (BOS)
Why should you bet on the Dodgers?
Clayton Kershaw has a 2.37 ERA in this postseason, with a a 2-1 record in three starts and a perfect inning in relief in the series clincher against Milwaukee. In 19 combined innings, he has permitted five earned runs on 11 hits, but four of those runs and six of those hits came in a 6-5 loss to Milwaukee in the NLCS. In the rest of his postseason appearances, he has looked like his old solid self after a September that saw him put up an unusually high ERA of 3.89, and it was some terrific run support that helped him avoid a couple of losses in the season’s last month.
The Dodgers have come this far with pitching, as they have permitted three or fewer runs in seven of the 11 games they have played, and their staff ERA is 2.79 with 111 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. The Dodgers do need some more out of their offense is they expect to win. Manny Machado and Yasiel Puig have combined to drive in 13 runs, and Justin Turner leads the team with a dozen hits and has four RBI of his own. If you like the Dodgers, you think they can take advantage of Chris Sale’s physical condition and can bludgeon their way to the bullpen early.
Why should you put your money on the Red Sox?
Chris Sale has a 3.48 ERA so far in the postseason, with a pair of starts and a relief appearance. He won Game 1 against the Yankees, throwing 5 1/3 innings of five-hit, two-run ball in a 5-4 win, and he came back in to throw an inning of relief in Game 4, striking out one and needing just 13 pitches to retire the side in order. His Game 1 start against Houston in the ALCS turned into the only loss for the Red Sox in that series, as he permitted a pair of earned runs on just one hit over four innings in a game that the bullpen would bungle, a 7-2 loss.
Boston continues to clobber the baseball at a rate that leads the major leagues. They have put up 20 runs over the last three games and have a .253 team batting average in the playoffs — with nine home runs. They also had 18 two-strike hits in the ALCS, an amazing number with that disadvantage against the pitcher. Xander Bogaerts has been the most prolific hitter, with 10 base hits and five RBI. If you like the Red Sox, you see Boston taking advantage of Kershaw early much like the Brewers did and then getting to the Dodger bullpen.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction for World Series Game 1
Chris Sale has not pitched since the opener of the ALCS thanks to some stomach issues that apparently had to do with irritation from a navel ring. He spent a couple of nights in the hospital before returning to the team, and he could well have some rust to shake off. He has not been dominant at any point in the postseason, while Kershaw has shown ace-level stuff in these playoffs. I see the Dodgers getting to Sale and picking up a 4-2 win to start the series.
