Category: Baseball

The Dodgers bats are alive and Kershaw is on the hill today. Take the Dodgers.
TODAY’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The Los Angeles Dodgers squandered some golden opportunities last night to get back into the game but came up short and now find themselves down 2-1 to the Houston Astros and need a win tonight or they are in major trouble. Yuli Gurriel’s antics last night were a disgrace to baseball and that should give the Dodgers some extra incentive to bring the hammer down. The Astros will send Charlie Morton to the hill and in the post-season he is 1-1 with an ERA of 6.23. The Dodgers will counter with the lefty Alex Wood, who is 0-1 this post-season, with an ERA of 5.79. Los Angeles is 18-5 in his last 23 starts and 8-3 in his last 11 road starts.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

We know that both the Dodgers and the Astros can hit the ball so tonight’s contest will come down to starting pitching and the bullpen. Los Angeles will send Yu Darvish to the rubber and he is no stranger to the Houston Astros or Minute Maid Park. In his career against the Astros, he is 5-5, with an ERA of 3.44 in 14 starts, and has been lights out at Minute Maid Park with a record of 4-1, an ERA of 2.16, and a stingy 0.74 WHIP. Darvish has been on his mark this post-season, with a record of 2-0 and an ERA of 1.59. Lance McCullers Jr. will get the nod for Houston. He has also pitched well this post-season but has yet to register a win, with an ERA of 2.08, and Houston is 1-8 in his last 9 starts. The Astros bullpen is awful and that was evident in Wednesday’s wild game. Closer Ken Giles is 0-1 with an inflated ERA of 8.22 over 6 games. The weather is fine in Houston but they are deliberately closing the roof at Minute Maid Park to enhance the crowd noise. Noise or not, I like the Dodgers chances in this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Justin Verlander, who is 9-0 since joining the Houston Astros from the Detroit Tigers, will be called upon tonight to try to even the World Series at a game apiece and get out of Los Angeles with a split. Verlander was 15-8 in the regular season, with an ERA of 3.36, and has been lights out this post-season, going 4-0, with an ERA of 1.46 over 24-2/3 innings, striking out 24, and walking only 6. Rich Hill will get the call for the Dodgers. Hill was 12-8 in the regular season, with an ERA of 3.32 and has pitched well this post-season. In his 2 starts, he has an ERA of 3.00 with both outings ending in a no-decision. Verlander is a workhorse and will go deep in this game. Houston should get the win.
TONIGHT’S PICK: HOUSTON ASTROS

Two of the best southpaws in the business will oppose each other tonight when the World Series kicks off at Dodger Stadium. Houston will send Dallas Keuchel to the hill and Los Angeles will start Clayton Kershaw. Both these guys have similar numbers. Keuchel is 16-6, with an ERA of 2.87, and a 1.12 WHIP. Kershaw’s numbers are slightly better, with a record of 20-4, an ERA of 2.43, and a 0.95 WHIP. The Dodgers are 47-9 in Kershaw’s last 56 starts and 48-10 in his last 58 home starts. That’s impressive! LA’s bullpen has been unforgiving this post-season, with an ERA of 0.94, and held Chicago hit-less in the NLCS. Houston is 1-6 in their last 7 road playoff games and 1-6 in their last 7 trips to Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers have the edge in this one with the home crowd behind them.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The winner of tonight’s game between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros will determine who makes it to the World Series to play the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday at Chavez Ravine. The Yankees CC Sabathia and Astros Charlie Morton, who faced each other in Game 3, will be tapping the rubber tonight at Minute Maid Park. CC, who is 1-0 with an ERA of 2.30 in the post-season, got the better of Morton in Game 3. Sabathia was on his mark, yielding just 3 hits over 6 scoreless innings. Morton, who is 0-1 in the post-season with an ERA of 10.13, was drilled by the Bombers in Game 3. New York sent Morton to the showers early, scoring 7 runs on 6 hits in just 3-2/3 innings. Sabathia has been down this road before. In 22 post-season career appearances, he is 10-5, with an ERA of 4.24, and after a Yankees loss, the veteran southpaw is 10-0 with an ERA of 1.69 in his last 13 outings. What would be better than a Yankees/Dodgers World Series? TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK YANKEES

With a victory tonight over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be headed back to the World Series for the first time since 1988. Los Angeles will send southpaw Clayton Kershaw to the rubber and he will be opposed by another lefty, Chicago’s José Quintana. Kershaw, who was 18-4, with an ERA of 2.31 in the regular season, started Game 1 of the NLCS yielding 2 runs over 5 innings of work. Quintana, who faced Kershaw in the series opener, was 11-11, with an ERA of 4.15 in the regular season, and in Game 1, he also gave up 2 runs over 5 innings of work. Chicago’s ace closer, Wade Davis, tossed 48 pitches in relief last night for the Cubs and will not be available in Game 5 – and that is not good. Should Kershaw get in trouble, a well-rested Kenley Jansen will be ready. The Dodgers bullpen has been outstanding, pitching 20 consecutive scoreless innings and giving up just 3 hits in the series. Los Angeles is 6-1 in their last 7 meetings with Chicago and 6-1 in their last 7 playoff games. Dodgers move on.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS