Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros World Series Game 6 Betting Preview

After a come-from-behind win in Game 5, the Houston Astros (2-3) have forced a Game 6 against the Atlanta Braves (3-2) back in Houston Tuesday night. Minute Maid Park will be the venue for this one, and the first pitch is scheduled for 8:09 pm ET.

With their backs against the wall, the Astros got off to a rough start in Game 5 after Framber Valdez allowed a first-inning grand slam to Adam Duvall. The Astros would go on to score runs in five of the next eight innings, though, and stole Game 5 nine to five.

In the win, Carlos Correa broke out of his slump by going three for five with two runs batted in. In total, the Astros had 12 hits and drew six walks. Jose Urquidy picked up the win after throwing a scoreless inning in the fourth.

After the first inning grand slam by Duvall, the Braves’ bats went relatively dormant. They got another solo home run by Freddie Freeman but were unable to do anything else against the Astros’ bullpen.

A.J. Minter picked up the loss after giving up three runs in the fifth inning. The Astros are the slight favorite playing at home. They are -126 to win while the Braves’ moneyline sits at +108. The runline features Atlanta +1.5 (-178), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.

Pitching Matchup

The Braves will turn to a fully rested Max Fried for Game 5. In his first appearance in this World Series, in Game 2, he went five innings, allowing six runs on seven hits.

This postseason, Fried is 1-2 in four games with a 5.40 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and has 23 strikeouts in 21.2 innings pitched.

The Astros will counter with rookie Luis Garcia, who will be pitching on short rest. Garcia pitched last on Friday, where he gave up one run in 3.2 innings of work.

Don’t be surprised if the Astros have a short hook on Garcia and look to either Jake Odorizzi or Christian Javier to piggyback with the righty.

By The Numbers

This season, the Astros have had the best offense in baseball. They rank atop the list in terms of scoring, averaging 5.37 runs per game. The Braves rank ninth, averaging 4.82 runs.

In terms of defense, the Braves hold the edge. They rank fifth in scoring defense allowing opponents an average of 4.03 runs per game. The Astros rank seventh allowing 4.08 runs.

Houston Looks To Push Series To A Game 7

After giving up the grand slam in the first inning of Game 5, there was a collective moan amongst Astros’ fans as the prospects of returning home for a Game 6 seemed to dim. Just when things looked the bleakest, the Astros offense got to work.

As they have done all season but had to that point failed to do consistently in the World Series, the Astros’ offense strung hits together and put up quality at-bats. Slowly but surely, they chipped away at the Braves before taking the lead for good in the fifth.

Now, Houston will look to bring their momentum back to Houston and try to force a Game 7.

While Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman, who had been moved down to seventh in the order, seemed to break out of their slumps, Yordan Alvarez is seemingly lost at the plate. Currently, he is hitting just .063/.318/.188 with no home runs in the World Series.

With the designated hitter back in play in the American League park, the Astros will have a deeper lineup and a stronger outfield come Tuesday.

Braves Hope To Finish Off The Astros Tuesday Night

After taking a 3-1 series lead, the Atlanta faithful thought destiny was on their side in Game 5, but it was all for naught. Now, doubt has entered the minds of Braves’ fans as they reminisce about blowing their 3-1 lead over the Dodgers last year.

Still, Max Fried has been solid all season long, and one more good outing could have the Braves celebrating Tuesday night.

Offensively, there are a few players who have swung it well during the World Series. Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler, and Travis d’Arnaud all have two home runs thus far.

Furthermore, Austin Riley (.381 avg), d’Arnaud (.350 avg), Freddie Freeman (.278 avg), Jorge Soler (.294 avg), and Eddie Rosario (.278 avg) have all been really tough outs thus far.

Taking Atlanta And The Runs

At the end of the day, these teams are just so similar. They both have stellar lineups, both have solid bullpens, and both have gotten just enough from their starting pitching this postseason.

The difference might be the rest of the starters, though. With Max Fried fully rested and Luis Garcia pitching on short rest, that could be the difference in this one.

There is a lot of value in taking Atlanta on the moneyline, but at the bare minimum, taking them on the runline at +1.5 seems like a strong bet.