Things are now heating up in the World Series as we approach game 3. The Houston Astros had to have been heartbroken as they blew a 5-0 lead to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1. They also got out ahead in Game 2, but this time they held onto it. And we are headed to Citizens Bank Park for Game 3, which is slated for 8 PM ET on Monday.
BetOnline patrons can see the game on Fox, which is where all the World Series games are televised.
Both of these teams sent ace-level talent to the mound in the first two games. Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez have started for Houston. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler got the assignments for Philadelphia. Results were mixed, with Valdez emerging with the best performance. He gave up just a single run in 6-1/3 innings with nine strikeouts.
Game 3 will be a duel between two hurlers who had injury situations in 2022, but at least don’t have a lot of wear and tear on them. Lance McCullers Jr. (4-2, 2.27 ERA) steps up for the Astros. Noah Syndergaard (5-2, 4.12 ERA) takes the ball for the Phils.
World Series Betting — Here are the numbers…
At BetOnline, the Astros are the road favorites in Game 3:
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astros | -1½ ( +130 ) | 8 ( -105 ) |  |
|
| Phillies | +1½ ( -150 ) | 8 ( -105 ) | ||
|
||||
Hey, check out Odds Boosters for some excellent payouts on pre-selected parlays – every day of the week!
World Series Betting — Let’s look at the pitchers
Noah Syndergaard, the former Met who came over after a stint with the Angels, was once one of the brightest young pitchers in the game. He’s working his way back, and can be a big boost for this staff if he’s right. He’s only made nine starts for the Phillies this season. He has a hard hit rate of 32.1% and has thrown ground balls 39% of the time. In his 24 starts, the Phils have scored five runs or fewer 21 times. He’s tossed 5-1/3 innings in this postseason and has given up a single run.
McCullers had only eight starts under his belt in the regular season. He’s posted a fly ball rate of 24.4%. In each of his last six starts, he allowed two runs or less. He threw six scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS, giving up just two hits. In the clinching Game 4 against the Yankees, he went five innings, allowing three earned runs on eight hits.
World Series Betting — Is Altuve “out from under”?
One of the curious things about this postseason for the Astros was that Jose Altuve was very quiet through the first two series. In fact, going into Saturday’s Game 2, he was only 4-for-37 in playoff action. That changed on Saturday. He led off the Houston half of the first inning with a double and wound up going 3-for-4 on the evening.
Altuve, we should mention, has been one of the more notable performers in postseason play since MLB went to three divisions. His next hit will be his 100th. And he has 23 postseason home runs. So the question that should be very important here is whether Saturday night’s effort was part of a genuine breakthrough, or a one-off.
World Series Betting — What can we conclude?
The Astros are 10-1 this postseason. But you know, these Phillies have been very tough customers at home. They are unbeaten in these playoffs, and they’ve been averaging seven runs a game. So on the surface, you’re looking at a viable home dog.
What clearly deserves mention is that Lance McCullers is the more dependable option on the mound. And the Astros, who had the lowest bullpen ERA in the majors this year, have guys who are fresh in that regard. Yes, they would have liked to get more than five innings out of Justin Verlander in Game 1. That would have given them even more flexibility. But there appears to be nothing to prevent them from sending a flurry of live arms against the Phils in Game 3. They won 63% of their games on the road. So they are equal to the task. We’ll lay the small price on the AL champs. .
When it comes to the World Series, BetOnline is one place where you can get it all! Plenty of props on Game 3 are available, as are alternate lines. And Odds Boosters are, of course, posted every day of the week……. They make it very easy to deposit – just use a credit card or a wide variety of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin!
