World Series Game 7 Pick -- No Place Like Road For Nats?

  • In Charles Jay
  • Wed, Oct 30th, 2019 4:56:47 pm
  • By Charles Jay - Exclusive to OSGA


The Washington Nationals will try to win their fourth game at Minute Maid Park as they send Max Scherzer to the mound in Game 7 of the World Series.


This has been a pretty strange World Series, hasn't it? The road team has won every game, and that is the first time that has happened in the first six games in any series in any major team sport in America. So would logic dictate that the Washington Nationals have a certain edge coming into the seventh and deciding game? That is an intriguing question indeed.

On Wednesday night, the Nats and Houston Astros tangle in the one-off for the championship, and there will be a pair of Cy Young winners facing each other - Zack Greinke for Houston and Max Scherzer for Washington. It begins at 8:07 PM ET at Minute Maid Park.

World Series game 7 free playWill the home team finally prevail, at a point when it matters the most?

As this game progresses, customers at BetAnySports can watch the game on Fox Network and place wagers in real time, using Live Betting Ultra.

Who would have predicted that the Nationals would go cold when they got to their home park, scoring only a single run in three straight games, then finally perk up a little once they got back to Houston? And as they have spent some of their bullpen in Game 5, they needed a big effort from Stephen Strasburg on Tuesday, and boy did he come through, lasting until one out in the ninth inning. He surrendered only five base runners, and was pretty economical with his pitches, throwing just 104.

The importance of that can't be overstated. Obviously manager Dave Martinez, knowing there was really no tomorrow, decided to go as far as he could with Strasburg and then see how much of his bullpen he could preserve. So Sean Doolittle made only eleven pitches, and everybody else got a rest. Meanwhile, Houston used three of its relievers for at least an inning.

The Nationals are hoping that this has some kind of residual carry-over effect in Game 7, as they are not sure how much they can count on Scherzer.

In the World Series Game 7 odds, the Astros are listed as the favorites:

Houston Astros (Greinke)              -133
Washington Nationals (Scherzer) +128

Under 7.5 Runs -110
Over 7.5 Runs  +100

Astros -1.5 Runs +160
Nats +1.5 Runs    -170

You can see that there is reduced juice in effect for this baseball play. But remember that you can also get reduced juice in football and basketball when you come and visit BetAnySports!

Astros World Series pickGreinke, who had an 18-5 record in the regular season, has started one game in the Series, failing to get through the fifth inning and allowing ten men to reach base. So he didn't do well. Scherzer went five innings in his start, and allowed two runs, five hits and three walks.

The free passes are a concern, because they demonstrate something of a pattern for him during post-season play, and it created a red flag of sorts for us going in Sunday's Game 5, which he was supposed to start. That morning he woke up unable to move his right arm, having to perform normal functions using only his left. He went through some heavy rubbing-down, we imagine, and tried to work out the soreness, but there was a tweak in his right trapezius muscle, which is located right behind the shoulder, and he had to scratch. Joe Ross made the start in the 7-1 loss.

Scherzer took his cortisone shot on Sunday and expects that it will have taken its effect for this outing. After walking just 33 batters (against 243 strikeouts) in 172-1/3 innings in the regular season, Scherzer has issued eleven bases on balls in 24 innings in the post-season. His velocity may be just slightly down as well after he came off some shoulder difficulty toward the end of the season.

We know he has pitched threw some pain this season - didn't he pitch a game after getting hit in the face with a baseball? - so he'll have enough grit to take the mound. How effective he'll be is another question. And how many pitches can he throw before Martinez turns to the bullpen?

Washington National World Series game 7 free pickSpeaking of walks, Greinke in his last two post-season starts, has walked seven batters in nine innings. And in the starts where he had "control," he gave up five home runs in 9-2/3 innings. Keep in mind, however, that his WHIP ratio is under the 1.000 mark this year, split between Arizona and Houston.

It's "all-in" as far as the bullpens are concerned, so maybe the presence of a Patrick Corbin or an Anibal Sanchez, as well as the other guys who are now well-rested, makes the Nats better equipped. Sure, we could see Gerrit Cole and God knows who else, so fasten seat belts.

The money has been moving toward Washington, and I would say there is value in this number. In addition, the five-inning prop, in which Washington is +106, will be a small play because it is basically Scherzer vs. Greinke and we don't have the mystery of all these bullpen variables thrown in.

Get the most out of World Series thrills at BetAnySports, where you can access reduced juice, which offers the best odds available on Game 7. And whether it's baseball, football or basketball, you can always save money and get closer to the point where you can break even........... And while the action is in progress, your action can keep going with Live Betting Ultra........Make your deposits with your debit or credit card, person-to-person transfers or the virtual currency of Bitcoin, which is fast and easy with their automated system and NEVER incurs a transaction fee!


Sign-up for the OSGA Newsletter!

Every week get news and updates, exclusive offers and betting tips delivered right to you email inbox.