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Let’s Decide a Champion
The World Series kicks off tonight and on paper it’s a great matchup of two 100-win teams in the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers. Someone is going to get their first World Series Trophy in a very long time.
The Dodgers haven’t won one since 1988 and the Astros are looking to capture their first crown in franchise history.
On tap for Game 1 is a tremendous pitching matchup featuring Houston’s Dallas Keuchel and LA’s Clayton Kershaw.
While each team features plenty of stars, it is often a lesser-known guy who comes up as the hero.
There are plenty of keys for each team, but the two biggest have to be the Houston offense and the Dodgers bullpen.
The Astros led the major leagues with 5.53 runs per game in the regular season, and they slugged .478 as a team. That is the highest mark since the 2003 Boston Red Sox. However that offense was held in check during the ALCS where they slashed .181/.271/.294 as a team against the New York Yankees. For the Astros to win, they will have to hit the ball well against a very tough Dodgers pitching staff.
For the Dodgers to win, they have to be able to get the ball to closer Kenley Jansen. That has been a problem in the past, but the likes of Brandon Morrow, Tony Watson, Tony Cingrani and Kenta Maeda have been outstanding. If they can form the bridge to Jansen, there may be no stopping this Dodgers club.
The final trend to keep an eye on is the home field advantage. Neither the Dodgers (4-0) nor Astros (6-0) have lost a game at home in these playoffs. The first team to get a win on the road may have a big advantage. If home field plays out, the Dodgers have home-field advantage, so that could be big in a potential Game 7.
Former Pirate to get a ring
One way or another a former Pirate is going to get a ring.
Tony Watson has been outstanding for the Dodgers since the deadline trade that sent him to LA. Watson went 2-1 with a 2.70 earned run average in 24 regular season games with LA. He also tossed 2.1 scoreless innings over four outings in the NLCS against the Chicago Cubs.
Charlie Morton also put together fine season in Houston.
Always a guy with so much potential, Morton, who was finally completely healthy this season, went 14-7 with a 3.62 ERA for Houston during the regular season. He also was instrumental in the Astros reaching the World Series, tossing five scoreless innings against the Yankees in Game 7.
He is expected to get a start in the World Series.
Having covered the Pirates and spoken to both players on numerous occasions, whoever gets a ring, it couldn’t happen to a nice guy.
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