By my divination of things, the Astros win it all in 6. All they need is to win Game 1 or 2 and take it back to Houston where they are unbeatable.
Many headlines -- one will be the Verlander trade for sure.
This is not the team the Dodgers want to see. The Dodgers will send 3 lefties to the mound: Kershaw, Hill & Wood.
Here is the reason why Houston just destroys left-handed pitching:
Altuve .353 w/ .977 OPS
Springer .301 w/ .972 OPS
Correa .391 w/ 1.066 OPS
Bregman .331 w/ .974 OPS
Reddick .315 w/a .762 OPS
You will see Reddick at the top of the line-up again in this series.
The Dodgers will see at least 3 right-handed Astros pitchers. Only one guy on the Dodgers roster bats over .300 against right-handed pitching: Austin Barnes.Only two Dodgers average over .300 against left-handed pitching: Justin Turner and Corey Seager. Word is Seager might be healthy enough to make an appearance in the World Series. That is a big speculation -- he might not able to field his position but if a pinch hit opportunity arrives, it can happen.
The lone right-hander, Yu Darvish has a 5-5 (w/a 3.44 ERA) record against the Astros -- a pitcher the Astros are quite familiar with.
Although Darvish have pitched very well in Minute Maid Park (4-1 w/a 2.14 ERA) i will not hesitate to add a wager on the Astros on the 27th of October if he is to get Game 3.
More later...