Astros +190 in 2021 World Series Odds Ahead of ALCS
By Chris Amberley in MLB Baseball
Updated: October 13, 2021 at 11:15 am EDTPublished:
- The Houston Astros will take on the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS after eliminating the Chicago White Sox in the ALDS on Tuesday afternoon
- Houston’s World Series odds have been shortened from +463 at the beginning of the ALDS to +190
- Read below to find out if the Astros are worth betting to win it all at their new price
The Houston Astros are ALCS bound for the fifth straight year. The 2017 champs eliminated the Chicago White Sox in Game 4 of the ALDS, and will now face the Boston Red Sox for a chance to play in the World Series.
Boston, which has the feeling of a team of destiny, got past Tampa Bay in the other ALDS matchup, setting up a showdown between two of the past four World Series winners.
Houston opened as a sizeable -160 favorite to win the series, and has seen its championship price tag shortened significantly.
2021 World Series Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros | +190 |
| San Francisco Giants | +330 |
| Boston Red Sox | +380 |
| Atlanta Braves | +425 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +500 |
Odds as of October 11th at DraftKings.
The Astros were +463 to win it all prior to the start of the ALDS, but are now listed at +190 in the World Series odds. That’s the shortest price on the board, followed by the NL West champion San Francisco Giants.
Houston Continues to Rake
The Astros were baseball’s best offense and that continued in the ALDS. Houston racked up 31 runs in four games, outscoring Chicago by 13 runs.
In the series finale, the Astros pounded White Sox pitching for 14 hits and 10 runs, smacking four extra-base hits, while batting .316 with runners in scoring position. Jose Altuve led the way on Tuesday with three hits, a homer and three rbi, while scoring four times.
JOSÉ ALTUVE NO DOUBTER MAKES IT 10-1 ASTROS IN THE 9TH
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) October 12, 2021
Four of Houston’s top-five hitters batted .313 or better in the ALDS, while the team has now crossed the plate at least six times in seven straight outings dating back to the regular season. They’re slugging .498, with an .820 OPS over the past week and crushed Boston pitching in both of their series this year.
Team full of winners.#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/XfZIy33Jxr
— Houston Astros (@astros) October 12, 2021
The Astros put up 42 runs in seven meetings against the Red Sox in 2021, taking five of the seven matchups. They were particularly tough on two of Boston’s top-three starters Eduardo Rodriguez and Nathan Eovaldi, scoring a total of 17 runs in only 15 innings combined versus the duo.
McCullers Jr. Needs Help
The starting pitching meanwhile, could all take a page out of Lance McCullers Jr’s book. LMJ held the White Sox to just two runs over 10.2 innings, putting Houston in position to win Games 1 and 4. He did leave the series finale after only 4 innings due to forearm tightness, but it doesn’t appear like that will affect him for the ALCS.
Lance McCullers Jr: “I felt fine until toward the end of the fourth. At that point, it was 5-1 and felt like I’d thrown the ball well for the team … I wasn’t on short rest, but my routine was short. I just had a little shorter week than normal.”
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) October 12, 2021
If he were unable to pitch versus the Red Sox the ramifications would be huge. Luis Garcia (Game 3) and Framber Valdez (Game 2) combined to allow nine runs in just 7 innings during their ALDS starts, while #4 starter Jose Urquidy was skipped in Game 4 after the contest was pushed back a day due to rain.
The trio combined to go 3-0 against Boston this season, but all three looked vulnerable down the stretch. Given how the Red Sox are swinging the bats lately (26 runs over their past three games), a potential McCullers Jr. absence would most definitely give bettors a reason to pause before making any Houston World Series wagers.
Buy or Fade Astros?
With the ALCS not starting until Friday, there’s plenty of time to wait on an update to McCullers Jr. If news breaks that he won’t miss any time, then by all means fire on the Astros.
This is the best lineup in baseball and while there are question marks about their #2 through 4 starters, the offense is good enough to cover up most of those warts. Give me two McCullers Jr. starts per series, with a possibility for additional work in a potential Game 7, and that’s enough to warrant a bet given these odds.
Are you not entertained?#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/uJ4M98TBZf
— Houston Astros (@astros) October 12, 2021
They owned Boston in the regular season and no matter who comes out of the National League, they’re likely even money against at worst over a seven game series.
Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
