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• Texas Rangers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
• Friday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. ET
• Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas
This is not the Fall Classic that baseball fans were expecting, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be plenty of intrigue over the next two weeks. Come Friday night, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers will meet to get the party started. This is a contest that people all over the world can’t wait for. With that said, the Rangers are favored to win Game 1 of the World Series. Who will come out on top?
Both teams are entering the World Series with a ton of confidence, as they pulled off some big-time upsets in both the ALCS and the NLCS. In the ALCS, countless people assumed that the Houston Astros would cruise to a win over the Rangers. In Game 7, the two teams faced off at Minute Maid Park, with the Astros favored to beat Texas and then advance. However, Texas dominated the game to get to this point.
| World Series Game 1 |  |  |  |
| Rangers to win | -165 | -165 | -165 |
| D-Backs to win | +135 | +135 | +135 |
| Over to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under to hit | -110 | -110 | -110 |
In the NLCS, no one thought the D-Backs would even get to that point. They were matched up with the Phillies, with Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and others playing their best ball of the year. There was no way Arizona would pull off a stunner, right? Wrong. In Game 7 on Tuesday night, the Diamondbacks posted a 4-2 victory. Everyone at Citizens Bank Park was left shocked. Now, Arizona and Texas want to start the World Series on the right note.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Rangers hold -165 MLB betting odds to win Game 1. The Diamondbacks are the underdogs with their +135 odds. With this game being played at Globe Life Field, the Rangers will have the home-field advantage, with the fans hoping to make an impact. With all of that said, we’re going with the Rangers as our pick to win Game 1.
Hello World Series! #GoAndTakeIt pic.twitter.com/PaOyxEsfLI
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) October 24, 2023
The under should hit for Game 1 of the World Series
Taking a look at Friday’s action, the under should hit for Game 1 of the World Series between Arizona and Texas. While the pitching matchups haven’t been confirmed just yet, it’s looking like Texas will be going with left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery and the Diamondbacks will be giving Zac Gallen the starting nod. These are two outstanding pitchers and they’ll be ready to dominate when on the bump.
With Gallen, he has been an incredible story this year for the Diamondbacks. He was named to the All-Star Game, but things were made even better for him when he was announced as the starter for the National League. During the regular season for the NL West side, Gallen posted 17 wins for the Diamondbacks and an impressive 3.47 ERA. Come Friday night, Gallen will be pitching on five days rest, which will be huge for him.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?
THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS ARE HEADED TO THE WORLD SERIES!!! pic.twitter.com/hMpSHazJKK
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) October 25, 2023
On the other side of the field, Montgomery has been a stud for the Rangers this year. With him being so impressive, the decision is easy for Texas to give him the ball in front of the hometown fans later this week. Montgomery is known for his consistency and he will look to make life difficult for the Arizona hitters on Friday night. Montgomery posted a 2.79 ERA during the regular season, which was awesome to see.
Per the oddsmakers, the over/under has been set at 8.5 runs for Game 1 of the World Series, with -110 MLB betting odds for both. Normally, we’d expect both of these teams to put up plenty of runs on the board, but Montgomery and Gallen have what it takes to silence the bats from start to finish in this one. The Rangers will look for Montgomery to step his game up, while Arizona is hoping for big things from Gallen. We’re going with the under here.
Look for the D-Backs to cover the spread in Game 1 of the World Series
As we mentioned above, the Rangers are the favorites to post a victory on Friday night. However, look for the D-Backs to cover the spread in Game 1 of the World Series. We truly think this will be a low-scoring affair due to the starting pitchers who will be ready to take the bump. Both Montgomery and Gallen have fantastic pitches at their disposal and fans are excited to see them go to work.
Right now, the Rangers are considered 1.5-point favorites for Game 1. Thus, Texas would have to win by at least two runs in order to cover. The Diamondbacks need to either lose by one run or win to cover the spread. Texas just stunned everyone by beating the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the ALCS.
Arizona also has a ton of confidence right now, as their win over the Phillies in Game 7 is going to be talked about for a while. We think the D-Backs will keep this game incredibly tight and cover the spread. The Rangers might win, but we see this being a 4-3 or 3-2 victory for them. Then, Game 2 will certainly be another tight battle as well.
