MLB World Series Preview
The 2021 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros begins on Tuesday, October 26th. It’s expected to be a close one.
The Matchup
The two teams haven’t faced one another since 2017, when the Astros won 4-0 in a regular season game. Reality today is different.
Despite not having met during the regular season, Houston had a better record (95-67) than Atlanta (88-74). Therefore, the Braves have home-field advantage, which means they have the designated hitter advantage for four of the seven games. Atlanta’s 88 wins are the fewest of any MLB playoff team. While experience is on Houston’s side, the Braves might have an edge in pitching.
World Series Odds
According to predictions from FiveThirtyEight, both teams have 50% odds to be crowned the new Major League Baseball’s champion.
FanDuel Sportsbook have the Astros as -150 favorites and the Braves as +125 underdogs.
According to SportsBettingDime, Houston is the -136 favorite, while Atlanta is at +116.
WynnBET has set the Houston team as winner with -140 odds, while the underdog Atlanta team has +125.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Astros as MLB champions at -155 and the Braves at +130.
Caesars Sportbook picks the Astros as winners at -145, with the Braves at +125.
Sportline’s projections see the Braves prevail in 50.5% of simulations and the Astros in 49.5%.
The Atlanta Braves eliminated the Milwaukee Brewers in four National League Division Series games and then beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in six. The Braves are back in the World Series for the first time since 1999.
Instead, the Astros have played in the World Series three times in the past five years. The Houston team downed the Chicago White Sox in four games in the American League Division Series and eliminated the Boston Red Sox in six games.
2021 World Series schedule
| DATE | GAME | PITCHING MATCHUP | TIME (ET) | TV |
| Tues., Oct. 26 | Game 1 | Charlie Morton (ATL) vs. Framber Valdez (HOU) | 8:09 p.m. | Fox |
| Weds., Oct. 27 | Game 2 | TBD vs. TBD | 8:09 p.m. | Fox |
| Fri., Oct. 29 | Game 3 | TBD vs. TBD | 8:09 p.m. | Fox |
| Sat., Oct. 30 | Game 4 | TBD vs. TBD | 8:09 p.m. | Fox |
| Sun., Oct. 31 | Game 5 (if nec.) | TBD vs. TBD | 8:15 p.m. | Fox |
| Tues., Nov. 2 | Game 6 (if nec.) | TBD vs. TBD | 8:09 p.m. | Fox |
| Weds., Nov. 3 | Game 7 (if nec.) | TBD vs. TBD | 8:09 p.m. | Fox |
Prediction
EXPERT PICKS
Anthony Sanfilippo: Astros in 5
Stefano Corti: Astros in 6
Jeff Eshleman: Astros in 6
Mark Groce: Braves in 6
Eugene Patterson: Astros in 7
Masimo Hernandez: Astros in 5
