Strasburg, Nationals Open as +152 Underdogs vs Verlander, Astros in World Series Game 6 – Picks & Odds
- The Houston Astros are -177 favorites to win Game 6 of the World Series
- The home team is 0-5 straight up in this World Series
- The visiting team has never won the first six games of a World Series
World Series history suggests that Game 6 will be a happy homecoming for the Houston Astros but a sad ending for the Washington Nationals.
For only the third time in the history of the World Series, the home team has gone 0-5 through the first five games. Despite this run of home-side failure, the odds are backing the Astros.
The sportsbooks lists Houston as -117 favorites over Washington in the Nationals vs Astros Game 6 odds. A win will give the Astros a 4-2 verdict in the best-of-seven series.
Nationals vs Astros Game 6 World Series Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Nationals | +152 | +1.5 (-135) | Over 7.5 (EVEN) |
| Houston Astros | -177 | -1.5 (-115) | Under 7.5 (-120) |
Odds taken 10/28/19
Both previous times the home teams opened 0-5, the series ended with a Game 6 home victory. The 1996 New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves in Game 6, and the 1906 Chicago White Sox dropped the Chicago Cubs in Game 6.
Washington Maxed Out?
The Nationals figured to be in tough trying to beat Houston’s 20-game winner and MLB strikeout leader Gerrit Cole a second time in the series, even when Max Scherzer was scheduled to be on the mound. When Scherzer was scratch from his start with neck stiffness, the task became insurmountable.
Last-minute substitute Joe Ross wasn’t horrible but he wasn’t anywhere near Cole’s level. Cole held Washington to three hits over seven innings. During a stretch from the end of the second inning until the seventh, Cole faced 15 batters in a row without allowing a hit.
It’s the first time since a four-game skid from Sept. 4-7 that Washington has lost three games in a row.
When they arrived home for Game 3 of this series, the Nationals had won 18 of their last 20 games. They’d scored 12 runs in their Game 2 win at Houston.
Scherzer told Martinez that he woke up with a neck problem yesterday…got plenty of therapy but now Martinez says Max woke up and his neck is “jacked up.” #KHOU11 #WorldSeries Scherzer will stay on the roster and Nats are hoping he’ll be available in Games 6 or 7
— Matt Musil (@KHOUSportsMatt) October 27, 2019
Washington scored just one run in each of the past three games. The last time the Nationals were held to one run in three successive games was Aug. 6-9, 2016.
The Nats hit .307 (23-for-75) in Houston and .175 (17-for-97) in Washington.
Houston’s Historic Run
The Astros are the first team in World Series history to go on the road for Games 3, 4 and 5 of a series and hold the home team to one run in each game.
Steady stream of people leaving the World Series game 5 early. The Nats are trailing the Astros 5-1 @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/xl93sJtZrA
— Aimee Cho (@AimeeCho4) October 28, 2019
It’s the first time any road team has held a home team to one run or fewer in three consecutive games since the Detroit Tigers did it to the St. Louis Cardinals in Games 1, 2, and 6 of the 1968 Fall Classic.
Strasburg Offers Hope
Stephen Strasburg takes the ball for Game 6, and the Nationals are hopeful that Scherzer will be healthy enough to pitch a potential Game 7. Washington is 8-0 in the postseason when those two start. Strasburg has won his last five postseason decisions.
From a pure entertainment perspective, Stephen Strasburg getting the chance to be the man and keep the Nationals alive in the World Series is pretty freaking awesome.
— D.J. Short (@djshort) October 28, 2019
Houston starter Justin Verlander took a 3-1 loss for the Astros in Game 6 of the 2017 World Series, but that was at Los Angeles.
The Astros will seek to emulate the 1996 Yankees in more ways than one. Those Yanks were the only team to open 0-2 at home in the World Series and win the set in six games.
Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander are the first teammates to each win 20 games during the regular season but lose Games 1 and 2 of a World Series since Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers in 1965 against the Twins.
The Dodgers would recover to win that series in 7 games. pic.twitter.com/iZ7x0eUOcn
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 24, 2019
The road team has won seven straight World Series games. But the bad news for Washington is that a road team has never won four games in a single World Series. Both history and the Astros’ recent dominance suggest the 2019 World Series will end tomorrow.
Pick: Houston Astros (-177)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
