2019 World Series Odds & Betting Preview

The Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros will meet for the 2020 World Series starting Tuesday night, with the Astros hosting the opener at Minute Maid Park. The Nationals come in as a significant underdog despite the way in which their starting pitching dominated the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series. Houston, who eliminated the Yankees in six games thanks to a Jose Altuve walk-off home run, enters at -235, the biggest favorite to win a World Series since 2007, when Boston opened at -240 against Colorado. We have the odds by outcome as you consider your sports betting on the 2019 World Series, as well as some thoughts about the two teams.

2019 World Series Odds & Betting Preview

This #WorldSeries features aces aplenty. pic.twitter.com/e2KtJOzwNg

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 21, 2019

Odds by Outcome

• Houston wins in 6                               +300
• Houston wins in 7                               +400
• Astros wins in 5                                    +440
• Washington wins in 7                          +650
• Houston wins in 4                               +750
• Washington wins in 6                          +875
• Washington wins in 5                          +950
• Nationals wins in 4                             +2500

One feature common to the baseball postseason in recent years has been the swiftness with which managers have gone to the bullpen. However, this Series should not go that way. For one thing, Washington’s bullpen has not been reliable; for another, both teams have dominant starting pitching, as Houston has Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, co-favorites for the American League Cy Young award. They also have Zack Greinke, who can pitch like an ace — but who can also lay an egg, as he did in Game 3 of the ALDS and in Game 1 of the ALCS. Washington has Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin, the third starter on this team — but who would be the ace for many other teams. Washington will need to win at least once on the road to take this series. Given that Houston is starting Gerrit Cole (who struggled a bit in his first ALCS start) and Justin Verlander, who has been hittable in the postseason. Verlander permitted three runs in the first inning against Tampa Bay in Game 4 of the ALDS and four runs in the first inning of Game 5 of the ALCS. He has permitted five home runs in his last three starts. So if the Nationals are going to get a split, it seems like it would have to happen in Game 2.

How is the Astros’ Bullepen?

The Houston batting order is a nightmare for pitchers to negotiate. The first four hitters are George Springer, Michael Brantley, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. Then Carlos Correa has been hitting sixth. There really is not a break until the bottom third of the order, where Washington will find Yordan Alvarez, who went 1 for 24 in the ALCS, with 12 strikeouts. Given how well Alvarez pounded the ball in the regular season, it is clear that the pressure of postseason baseball has gotten to the youngster. He hit 27 home runs this season in just 87 games. But if he finds his swing in the World Series, the task gets even harder for Washington.

And what about the Nationals’ Bullpen?

No team has made the playoffs with a worse bullpen ERA than Washington did. However, they looked terrific in the sweep of St. Louis. Sean Doolittle, Fernando Rodney, Tanner Rainey and Daniel Hudson combined to permit just a single run in 10 innings of relief over the four games. However, if Washington ends up needing a long reliever, things could go south in a hurry. So you might see, in a situation like that, one of the Nationals’ aces who has some rest come in to pitch an inning in the middle of a game. This is the time of year when it is “all hands on deck.” The Nationals feel like a team riding momentum, much like that 2007 Boston team that found themselves down three games to none to New York in the ALCS and down in the fifth inning of Game 4, only to roar all the way back, seize the pennant and then sweep the Colorado Rockies in the World Series. Houston has the bats to break that momentum, but they have already wavered twice — once against Tampa Bay and once against the Yankees. I’m predicting Washington in six.