The Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros will kick off the 2021 World Series on Tuesday night. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Braves-Astros World Series prediction and pick.
The Braves and Astros have each made runs to the World Series over the past few weeks, staying hot at the right time on their path to the Fall Classic. Both teams bring a solid balance of hitting and pitching, and have some key guys rolling. Houston defeated the Boston Red Sox four games to two in the ALCS, while the Braves knocked of the World Series favorite Los Angeles Dodgers in six games as well. It should be a very competitive series, as the Astors and Braves were both among the best teams in baseball following the All-Star break.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the Braves-Astros odds for the World Series.
MLB Odds: Braves-Astros Odds to win World Series
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Atlanta Braves +125
Houston Astros -150
Why the Braves can win the World Series
The Braves come in swinging it pretty well offensively, carried by Freddie Freeman, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies and one unusual suspect. Eddie Rosario took home the NLCS MVP after a historic series. He set a Braves postseason record with a whopping 14 base hits in the series vs. the Dodgers, collecting four multi-hit games and two four-hit games in the series. For the postseason, Rosario is batting .474 (18-for-38) with three home runs and 11 RBI in 10 games. Freeman as a .455 OBP to go with three home runs, and he has racked up 11 walks across the 10 postseason games Atlanta has played.
The Braves scored 40 runs in 10 games on their path to the World Series, though they did face some of the best pitching in baseball with the likes of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Max Scherzer and Walker Buehler standing in their path. They were able to come up with timely hits, and pitched good enough to get by those aces as well. Braves pitchers have a 3.41 ERA this postseason, led by aces Charlie Morton and Max Fried. Atlanta's pitching has 100 strikeouts in 87 total innings during these playoffs, with a .228 batting average against.
Why the Astros can win the World Series
The Astros come into this series with the more explosive offense and more experience in the postseason, particularly in the later rounds. The controversial 2017 World Series champs have had an impressive postseason at the plate so far, scoring 67 runs in 10 games. That's 27 more runs than the Braves scored in the 10 games it took them to reach the World Series.
Houston actually struggled a bit more than you'd expect on the mound this year in the postseason, giving up 46 runs in 88 innings. The days of them dominating games with pitching from Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke and Justin Verlander seem like a thing of the past, but their staff does a nice job of keeping their offense within reach. One note, the Astros have just one save this postseason, as they have won a lot of games in blowout fashion. If Atlanta keeps these games tight, it will be interesting to see how their bullpen responds in a pressure situation.
Final Braves-Astros World Series Prediction & Pick
This should be a great series, and it's relatively evenly matched. Houston has the edge at the plate, but the Braves probably have the better pitching staff. This series should go deep, six or seven games. Given that the Astros have the home field advantage, and more experience in the later rounds of the playoffs, they seem like a bit of a safer bet but it's honestly a toss up. The Braves are playing well and have a nice chemistry in their clubhouse. Given that Vegas is giving a little bit of favorable odds, take Atlanta. If they can get one of the first two games in Houston, they'll be set up nicely to win the series.
FINAL BRAVES-ASTROS WORLD SERIES PREDICTION & PICK: Braves +125 to win World Series
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