Astros vs Nationals 2019 World Series Game 5 Odds, Preview & Expert Pick

Astros vs Nationals 2019 World Series Game 5 Odds, Preview & Expert Pick

Written by on October 27, 2019

The Houston Astros evened up the 2019 World Series against the Washington Nationals behind great pitching from Jose Urquidy and a grand slam from Alex Bregman. On Sunday night, both teams send their ace pitchers to the mound. Will the Nationals head to Houston a win away from the World Series? Or, will the Astros take the 3-2 series lead? Check out World Series odds, analysis, and a free pick for Astros-Nationals Game 5!

Astros vs Nationals 2019 World Series Game 5 Odds, Preview & Pick

Why Houston Astros are a good bet at -160?

After a Game 1 and Game 2 loss, Houston looked like a dead team walking. The Astros stranded runners in scoring position. Their top two starters, Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander, had both failed. Nothing positive appeared on the horizon.

But, then, Houston flipped the switch. They won Game 3 by a comfortable 4-1 margin. In Game 5, they dominated the Washington Nationals 8-1. Houston has a chance to win their third in a row in the World Series on Sunday night. Don’t expect the Astros to miss the opportunity of going up 3-2 heading back to Houston.

Team Statistics

Offense:
  • Runs/G: 5.68
  • BA: .274
  • OPS: .848
  • HR: 288
  • SB: 67
Defense:
  • ERA: 3.68
  • WHIP: 1.13
  • KS: 1671
  • Quality Starts: 88
  • Errors: 70

Why Washington Nationals are a good bet at +135?

The Nationals rely on their top two starters, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. On Oct. 27, Scherzer picks up the baseball. Max had a decent outing in Game 1. He threw 5 innings, gave up 2 earned runs off 5 hits, struck out 7, and walked 3.

That performance was off a long layoff. If anything, Scherzer should be even better on Sunday night having already faced the Houston Astros’ lineup. If Scherzer can pitch 7 innings, the Nationals should be in a good position to take Game 5.

Team Statistics

Offense:
  • Runs/G: 5.39
  • BA: .265
  • OPS: .796
  • HR: 231
  • SB: 116
Defense:
  • ERA: 4.27
  • WHIP: 1.29
  • KS: 1511
  • Quality Starts: 87
  • Errors: 87

2019 World Series Game 5 Betting Trends for Astros vs Nationals

  • Astros are 22-5 in their last 27 Sunday games
  • Astros are 4-1 in their last 5 playoff road games
  • Houston is 5-0 in their last 5 games with Barksdale behind home plate
  • Nationals are 5-1 in Scherzer’s last 6 home starts
  • Nationals are 16-5 in Scherzer’s last 21 starts
  • Washington is 9-2 in their last 11 home games versus a right-handed starter

World Series Game 5 Astros vs Nationals Betting Analysis

Everything that went wrong for the Houston Astros in the first couple of games, has gone right for them in the past 2 days. Houston is on a roll. The Astros figure to continue rolling.

First, it’s hard to imagine Gerrit Cole pitching as badly in Game 5 as he did in Game 1. Cole gave up 5 earned runs off 8 hits. Second, when it comes to the bullpens, A.J. Hinch has much more rope than Dave Martinez.

Hinch can pull Cole before 7innings if Cole runs into any trouble. The Astros manatger can send Josh James, Walt Harris,  or Joe Smith to the mound. Brad Peacock can throw 1 inning for sure, and 2 innings if he must.

A.J. has that luxury because tomorrow is a traveling day, and Jose Urquidy threw well into Game 4. Martinez must get 7 innings from Scherzer to have any shot with his bullpen. Finally, Houston has been fantastic at the plate while they’ve thrown a ton of breaking balls to superstar Juan Soto, blunting the Nationals’ Game 1 and Game 2 hero’s effectiveness.  Houston is showing why they won 107 games during the regular season. They should take Game 5 on Sunday night.

MLB Free Pick: Houston Astros -160