Trent Reinsmith
- Date & Location: Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
- Odds: Atlanta Braves (+125) vs. Houston Astros (-135) via Sportsbetting.
- Prediction: Astros to win game 1 of the 2021 World Series
The 2021 World Series begins on Tuesday in Houston. The Astros won the American League pennant for the third time in five seasons. Houston downed the Boston Red Sox in six games in the ALCS. The Atlanta Braves advanced to the World Series by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the NLCS.
The Astros are playing in their fourth World Series. The Braves have been to the Series nine times in the franchise’s history. Houston won the Series in 2017 and last earned a berth in 2019. Atlanta has not won an MLB title since 1995 and has not played in the World Series since 1999.
Please check to our MLB 2021 betting guide for baseball betting tips and advice with the World Series closing in.
Pitching Analysis
Charlie Morton, who threw for the Astros in 2017 and 2018 and pitched in the final four innings of Game 7 of Houston’s 2017 World Series win over the Dodgers, will be on the mound for the Braves.
Morton, who signed a $20 million deal to remain with Atlanta in 2022, has a 3.77 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings this year in the playoffs.
Framber Valdez, who has never faced the Braves and never pitched in the World Series, gets the nod for the Astros. Valdez has thrown 15 innings for Houston this year in the postseason. He has a 4.20 ERA and 19 strikeouts.
Braves to beat the Astros in Game 1 of the 2021 World Series +125 via Betonline.
Hitting Analysis
The Astros led the league in runs per game during the 2021 season at 5.41. The team has improved on that during the 2021 postseason, where it has put up 67 runs in 10 games played. Houston does not strike out much. They were second in the league in fewest strikeouts per game in 2021 at 7.54. That number has increased in the playoffs to 8.4 per game. Houston is hitting .281 in the 2021 playoffs, which is an improvement from the team’s .267 regular season average.
The Braves bats are not as potent as Houston’s. Atlanta averaged 4.9 runs per game in the regular season. That number has dropped to four runs per game in the playoffs. The Braves also strike out more frequently than Houston. Atlanta has averaged 10.1 strikeouts per game in the 2021 postseason. Atlanta has a slightly better playoff batting average than it did in the regular season at .250, which is up from .244.
Astros to beat the Braves in Game 1 of the 2021 World Series -140 via BetUS.
Players to Watch
The Astros’ Yordan Alvarez took home the ALCS Most Valuable Player award after he hit .522 with one triple, one home run, three doubles and six RBIs against the Red Sox.
Yuli Gurriel was not far behind Alvarez. He hit .455 with one home run and six RBIs.
The Astros hope Alex Bregman (.217) and Jose Altuve (.125) can improve for the World Series run.
The Braves are going to look toward Eddie Rosario for offense. He’s hit .474 this postseason.
Freddie Freeman has also done well at the plate, hitting three home runs
As for players the Braves hope will get hot, the team will look at Dansby Swanson (.237) and Travis d’Arnaud (.194)
Our Pick
This game and the entire series is going to come down to pitching vs. hitting. The Braves pitchers need to shut down the Houston hitting and that’s a tall order as Houston was the best hitting team during the regular season and they have only gotten better in that respect in the playoffs. If Atlanta can quiet the bats of the Astors in Game 1, it would be a huge moral victory for the Braves and give them a lot of confidence and momentum to start the series. I don’t think the Braves can do that.
Houston Astros to defeat the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the 2021 World Series -140 via Bovada.
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