Nationals World Series Odds Improve to -265 Entering Game 3 with 2-0 Lead
- The Washington Nationals have won the first two games of the World Series
- Three of the remaining five games in this series will be played in Washington
- The Nats should have significant pitching advantages in Games 3 and 4
The Washington Nationals have stunned the Houston Astros through the first two games of the World Series. Not only have they won the first two games, which were in Houston, they’ve also beaten Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander. The 2019 World Series odds now list them as a huge favorite. Are they the right bet now?
Updated World Series Odds After Game 2
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Washington Nationals | Nationals -265 |
| Houston Astros | Astros +225 |
Odds taken October 23, 2019
Nationals Take 2-0 Series Lead
The Washington Nationals look like they’re in complete control of the World Series. They’ve not only won the first two games of the series, taking away home-field advantage, they’ve also knocked off the Astros top two starters. Cole and Verlander were supposed to give the Astros a huge edge. Instead, they’ve both lost, giving up nine earned runs.
The @Nationals home run celebration is everything ?
10-2 Nats lead! pic.twitter.com/05lLsccNxJ
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 24, 2019
If the Nats are able to get to the Astros top two aces, how exactly are they going to be stopped? Up next is Zack Greinke, who is supposedly the weakest link in the Astros chain. After that, it’s supposedly going to be Brad Peacock or Jose Urquidy. The Nats have to be feeling like they’re in great shape.
Nats Now Favored to Win World Series
To no one’s surprise, Washington is now favored to win the World Series. They’re starting to appear like they are the team of destiny. The Astros were -215 to start the World Series and -120 after the Game 1 loss. For the first time this series, they’re now the underdog.
At this point, it’s going to be hard to make a compelling case to bet the Astros, so don’t be surprised if we see more Nationals money pour in. Houston has already used up it’s best starters and the Nationals should have the pitching advantages in Games 3 and 4.
Game 3 will be started by Patrick Corbin, who was 8-2 at home this season with a 2.40 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and held opponents to a .199 batting average. He did have a rough outing against St. Louis in the NLCS where he gave up four earned runs in five innings.
Game 4 will be started by Anibal Sanchez, who has allowed just one earned run and five hits in 12.2 innings of playoff work.
What’s the Best Bet?
At this point, you have to start thinking about abandoning ship if you have an Astros ticket. You might want to hedge if you can, and if you don’t have money on Houston, now is a reasonable time to bet Washington.
The bottom line here is the Nats just continue to find ways to win. Cole and Verlander look like they’ve run out of gas a little bit and the Nationals starters are throwing fire. Given how the teams have played so far, it’s hard to bet on Houston, asking them to win four of the next six with three of the games in Washington.
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
