Photo credit: Icon Sportswire
This World Series is an intriguing matchup. It presents the Houston Astros, who’ve won 311 games over the past three seasons, including a major league best of 107 this year, against the Washington Nationals, who started the season 19-31.
The Nationals, who’ll begin the Series tonight on seven days’ rest, have been incredibly hot, winning 16 of their last 18 since September 23.
Will the long rest hurt them?
According to oddsmakers, it will. The Nationals are the longest shot to win the World Series since 2007 when the Colorado Rockies, who won 21 of 22 entering the Series, were swept by the Boston Red Sox after not playing for nine days.
Both teams have wonderful starting pitchers with a few future Hall of Famers on display. Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke are Houston’s top three starters. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin are Washington’s top three.
Although the Nats have the possible National League MVP in third baseman Anthony Rendon and superb 20-year-old leftfielder Juan Soto, their lineup isn’t as strong as the Astros’.
In the four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series, manager Dave Martinez was able to use just eight pitchers. He might not be as lucky against the fearsome lineup of the Astros.
Houston got plenty of practice against a tough lineup, holding the Yankees to a .214 average. Despite winning the ALCS in six games, the Astros hit just .179 and had only a .600 OPS.
Likely AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez was just 1-for-22 (.045) against the Yankees. He’s not likely to start this weekend’s games in Washington because of the absence of the designated hitter.
The Cardinals had just 16 hits in the Nationals’ four-game sweep, hitting just .130, but the Astros should be a bigger challenge.
My pick: Astros in 5
This Week’s Diner Question: What’s your World Series prediction?
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I'm a big believer in teams sometimes just being destined to win, and frankly, the Nats have had that "team of destiny" look for quite some time now.
So I predict pain Balboa! Or should I say Houston.
Nats in 6, with Trey Turner winning the series MVP.
I really hope the Nats win. That would be really memorable. It would be great for DC, too.
I keep going back and forth between Astros in five or six. I think Astros on five is most likely.
Good luck Nats.
In the year of absurd home run totals, the arms make this one a classic. Nationals in 7. The Astros offense is stymied by the Nationals rotation, and learns hitting home runs at a slow pitch softball rate a la the '17 Series in LA and Houston is much more difficult in Washington DC in October. Strasburg pitches not one but two gems, as well as heroic relief in game 7 and takes home the MVP. The offseason is dominated by articles declaring that the way to win in 2020 is to have a great starting rotation, as if this hasn't been the case for 150 years.
:-)
It's against my principles to ever root for Nats or Yankees, but I am with Boog that the Nats seem to have this destiny thing going on! Hoping if we talk about it enough it will go away!!!!!!!
Astros in 6!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
Nats in seven no sound analysis to support this but the pitching on both teams is solid
2025, Orioles in 6, go O’s...
Attaboy CP .. as your number2fan...I concur.
Astros in 6. Why? Because I would really hate to see the Orioles have to hand over a $100 million check to the World Series champs.
Too many days off for the Gnats ! They'll be competitive in spots, due to their strong pitching. But the Strohs have great pitching too.
Ultimately the long lay off will present too much rust and the Gnats fall in 6.
Houston in seven. Richard notes that the gnats only used eight pitchers in their series reminds me that the Orioles used only four pitchers in the 1966 world series. McNally twice, Palmer, Bunker and Drabowsky once each.
Astros in 7. I'm rooting for the Nat's, but I think the Astros are the better team by a small margin.
Gnats take gm 1. So what. It's still Stroh's in 6