PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* Game 2 Coach's Clinic >> Had Under in Gm 1! 5-0-2 Last 2 Days!
(MLB) Houston vs. LA Dodgers,
Money Line: -113.00 LA Dodgers (Home)
Result: Loss
Money Line: -113.00 LA Dodgers (Home)
Result: Loss
The set-up: Dallas Keuchel matched Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 through five innings (it was 1-1 with both starters having allowed a solo HR). However, in the bottom of the sixth, Justin Turner's two-run blast was the difference in LA's Game 1 victory. Kershaw allowed just that solo HR, three overall hits and finished his seven innings with 11 Ks and zero walks (no postseason blues, this year!). The Dodgers are now a perfect 5-0 at Dodger Stadium in the postseason, while the Astros, MLB's best offensive team during the regular season, suddenly can't "get going" on the road. Houston scored just five runs in three consecutive losses to the Yankees in the Bronx during the ALCS and opened the 2017 World Series with three hits and one run!
The pitching matchup: Houston's Justin Verlander is 4-0 with a 1.46 ERA in the postseason (three starts), while LA's Rich Hill is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two postseason starts (Dodgers are 2-0). Verlander was acquired from Detroit by the Astros to fortify their rotation and now he's a symbol of a franchise looking for its first -ever World Series title. He was 15-8 with a 3.36 ERA for the Detroit Tigers and the Astros in the regular season, including winning five of five starts after coming to Houston. Add in his postseason efforts and he's 9-0 with a 1.23 ERA in a Houston uniform (eight starts and one relief appearance). Every time Verlander has touched the mound this October, the Astros have come away with a victory. Houston needs a win here, as falling behind 0-2 against LA could be fatal. The 37-year-old Rich Hill was 12-8 with a 3.32 ERA over 25 regular season starts, with LA going 15-10 but minus-$237 vs. the moneyline. He is 1-2 with a 3.96 ERA in six career postseason starts. Still, the Dodgers have now given him the Game 2 start in each of the team's three postseason series in 2017, ahead of Yu Darvish. Hill is making his World Series debut and he's trying to keep the moment in perspective after his major-league career appeared to be finished in the summer of 2015, when he signed with the independent Long Island Ducks. However, 26 of his 50 career regular-season victories have come since that stint. "I wouldn't change that for anything," Hill said at his press conference on Tuesday. "It was learning, reigniting that fire, reigniting that passion for what we do out there on the field. And really getting back into disassociating yourself with the results, and just understanding that it is a pitch-to-pitch process and understanding that the moment is all that matters."
The pick: Hill is nothing more than a journeyman and Verlander could be a Hall of Famer but while Verlander has been terrific this postseason and he's had excellent success in his career during LDS and LCS matchups (11-2 with a 2.342 ERA), he's been a "total bust" in his only three previous World Series starts. With the Tigers in 2006 and again in 2012, he's 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA. Verlander vs. Hill seems to give Houston the edge but those Houston bats have become very 'quiet' away from Minute Maid Park plus LA is now 62-24 at home in 2017, outscoring opponents on average, by just over 1 1/2 runs per game. Make the Dodgers a 10*!
The pitching matchup: Houston's Justin Verlander is 4-0 with a 1.46 ERA in the postseason (three starts), while LA's Rich Hill is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two postseason starts (Dodgers are 2-0). Verlander was acquired from Detroit by the Astros to fortify their rotation and now he's a symbol of a franchise looking for its first -ever World Series title. He was 15-8 with a 3.36 ERA for the Detroit Tigers and the Astros in the regular season, including winning five of five starts after coming to Houston. Add in his postseason efforts and he's 9-0 with a 1.23 ERA in a Houston uniform (eight starts and one relief appearance). Every time Verlander has touched the mound this October, the Astros have come away with a victory. Houston needs a win here, as falling behind 0-2 against LA could be fatal. The 37-year-old Rich Hill was 12-8 with a 3.32 ERA over 25 regular season starts, with LA going 15-10 but minus-$237 vs. the moneyline. He is 1-2 with a 3.96 ERA in six career postseason starts. Still, the Dodgers have now given him the Game 2 start in each of the team's three postseason series in 2017, ahead of Yu Darvish. Hill is making his World Series debut and he's trying to keep the moment in perspective after his major-league career appeared to be finished in the summer of 2015, when he signed with the independent Long Island Ducks. However, 26 of his 50 career regular-season victories have come since that stint. "I wouldn't change that for anything," Hill said at his press conference on Tuesday. "It was learning, reigniting that fire, reigniting that passion for what we do out there on the field. And really getting back into disassociating yourself with the results, and just understanding that it is a pitch-to-pitch process and understanding that the moment is all that matters."
The pick: Hill is nothing more than a journeyman and Verlander could be a Hall of Famer but while Verlander has been terrific this postseason and he's had excellent success in his career during LDS and LCS matchups (11-2 with a 2.342 ERA), he's been a "total bust" in his only three previous World Series starts. With the Tigers in 2006 and again in 2012, he's 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA. Verlander vs. Hill seems to give Houston the edge but those Houston bats have become very 'quiet' away from Minute Maid Park plus LA is now 62-24 at home in 2017, outscoring opponents on average, by just over 1 1/2 runs per game. Make the Dodgers a 10*!
