If you like watching batters get out a lot, this may be the World Series for you. Houston has an outrageously deep starting rotation, and Philadelphia’s has a pair of legitimate aces, while both teams have strong bullpens filled with power arms. Oh, and the Phillies are batting .237 for the postseason while the Astros are betting .227.
In Game 1, the Phillies will start Aaron Nola, one of their aforementioned aces, who did not allow any earned runs in his first two postseason starts but was roughed up by San Diego in Game 2 of the N.L.C.S., allowing six runs in four and two-thirds innings. It was the opposite for the Astros’ ace, Justin Verlander, who allowed six runs in four innings against Seattle in their division series but rebounded to strike out 11 in a Game 1 win over the Yankees in the A.L.C.S.
For Verlander, who is considered the front-runner for the A.L. Cy Young Award after going 18-6 with a 1.75 E.R.A. this season — it would be the third Cy Young of his career — the game is a chance to finally earn his first win in a World Series game. He has started seven games over four World Series (2006, ’12, ’17, ’19) and has some ugly results with an 0-6 record and a 5.68 E.R.A.