All the hype around baseball early this week will be on the Subway Series between the New York Mets and Yankees as well as the Freeway Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels. Those are the two biggest media markets in the United States, so the TV networks like ESPN will fawn over them.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
However, there’s only one realistic World Series preview early this week, and that’s Milwaukee Brewers at Houston Astros. They open a two-game set at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, and the Astros will be betting favorites in each game – Houston opened at -150 on the moneyline for Tuesday night’s matchup. Because it’s only a two-game set, there will be no series line because there could obviously be a tie.
Both these teams lost in their respective League Championship Series in 2018, with Milwaukee falling in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston dropping out in five to the Boston Red Sox. The Astros, a former National League team, won their first-ever title the year before. The Brewers have yet to win a title and only have reached one World Series, back in 1982.
Because it’s an interleague series in an American League park, the Brewers will add the designated hitter. It’s the first meeting between the teams since 2016 when Milwaukee won two of three at home.
It’s no guarantee that the Brewers will make the playoffs this fall as they are in the very tough NL Central Division with the loaded Chicago Cubs and pretty good St. Louis Cardinals. Still, it seems likely that barring injury to reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich that Milwaukee at least is a wild-card team. Yelich is having another monster season but is a bit behind the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger in regards to the current NL MVP favorite.
Houston is going to win the AL West again as the Astros are lapping the field. Impressive considering the team has been hit hard by injuries. Three of its four best offensive players are still on the injured list in second baseman Jose Altuve (former AL MVP), shortstop Carlos Correa (former AL Rookie of the Year) and outfielder George Springer (former World Series MVP).
The probable pitching matchups seem to heavily favor Houston as it’s Freddy Peralta (3-2, 5.11 ERA) for the Brewers against Brad Peacock (5-3, 3.20 ERA) in Game 1, and Brandon Woodruff (8-1, 3.87 ERA) against Astros ace and AL Cy Young contender Justin Verlander (9-2, 2.31 ERA) in Game 2.
