After winning the last two games of the NLDS against the Dodgers, then sweeping the Cardinals and taking the first two games of the World Series on the road, the Washington Nationals are now in some very real danger of shifting the advantage completely to the Houston Astros.

After being outscored 12-2 in their last two games (both losses), Washington sends Max Scherzer to the mound as they desperately attempt to avoid having lost all three games at home in the Fall Classic. Game 5 will begin at 8:07 PM ET at Nationals Park in Sunday night.

Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, will be opposed by Gerrit Cole, who will likely win the award in the American League this year. And at BetAnySports, customers can watch this pitchers' duel and place wagers on it in progress as they access Live Betting Ultra.

Neither of these pitchers was at his best when they met in Game 1. Cole, who was 20-5 in the regular season and had allowed just one run in 22-2/3 innings in the post-season, was touched up for five runs, including two homers, in his seven-inning stint as Houston dropped the opener. Scherzer fared better, going five innings and allowing two runs, while striking out seven. But he also walked three batters.

Cole had been on a tear, going 25 straight starts without a loss and winning 19 consecutive decisions. That came to a halt last time out. Scherzer had not finished the regular season with a flourish as he had been hampered by the after-effect of injuries, but he had put together really good efforts against the Dodgers and Cards in the playoffs.

However, for a guy who had yielded 1.73 walks per nine innings during the regular season, he's been much more off the mark in the post-season, issuing eleven free passes in 24 innings. And a strikeout-walk ratio that was 7.4-to-1 in the regular campaign has been 2.8-to-1 in the playoffs, for what it's worth.

In the World Series betting odds that have been placed on this game, the Astros are favored:

Houston Astros (Cole) -144
Washington Nationals (Scherzer) +139

Under 7 Runs -115
Over 7 Runs +105

Astros -1.5 Runs +120
Nats +1.5 Runs -130

Those numbers are infused with "reduced juice," which you can use at BetAnySports to get better odds.

You can't win games if you leave everybody on base. And that, unfortunately, is what the Nationals have done, with one hit in 19 at bats with runners in scoring position (RISP).

So now Washington is in a spot where they will have to beat either Cole or Justin Verlander for a second time in the upcoming two games. It's difficult enough to beat them once.

Home dogs have been a 56% proposition when Lance Barksdale is the home plate umpire, so if you're the Nats, you've got that going for you.

And there may be more. As Will Harris, Josh James and Brad Peacock have been used extensively since the series moved to D.C., the Astros might be just a little short out there in the bullpen, which suddenly would make them no longer the majors' best when it comes to critical stats like strikeout-walk ratio.

Meanwhile, the Nationals had the "luxury" of not having to use bullpen stalwarts like Daniel Hudson and Sean Doolittle in Game 4, and there might be an edge to be found there.

Listen - if Cole pitches a gem and keeps the ball in the park, there's no defense for that. But anything short of that and there is an opening. Cole should be the favorite, but not sure he should be this much of a favorite against an ace-level pitcher and a team in its home park. So we're going to take a swing with the Nationals on Sunday.

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