Houston Astros (104-73) vs Atlanta Braves (98-77)
Tuesday, November 02, 2021 at 8:09 pm
My selection is on Atlanta +1.5 runs over Houston at 8:05 pm et on Tuesday.
I love the way this spot sets up for the Braves with an insurance run in our back pocket as they hand the ball to Max Fried in hopes of making good in their second attempt at clinching a World Series title. Fried didn't pitch well in his first start in this series but I'm confident that he can bounce back strong here, noting that he still owns a terrific 3.65 ERA and 1.13 WHIP on the road this season and better still, a 3.49 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in nighttime starts. The Braves are a terrific 64-41 when coming off a loss going back to last season, outscoring opponents by an average margin of 1.6 runs along the way. We haven't seen the Braves drop consecutive games since a four-game losing streak from September 14th to 18th. To find the last time they lost back-to-back games by two or more runs you would have to go all the way back to June 23rd and 24th. Atlanta wasn't quite able to break through against Astros starter Luis Garcia back in Game 3 of this series but it's not as if he was dominant. Garcia lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and four walks but only one earned run. While Sunday's game ended up lopsided in nature, I'm expecting tightly-contested baseball from here on out, making grabbing the insurance run attractive in Game 6. Take Atlanta +1.5 runs (5*).