(Scroll down for our Props below the game 5 intro commentary. Our series intro is here.)
Wow what a flip of the script in Game 5. Who else still can’t believe we witnessed a World Series no hitter by the Astros last night? And to boot, it came the day after we saw the Phillies tie the World Series record for home runs in a single game in a 7-0 victory, all of it in front of their home crowd. Two different extremes in 24 hours, you just gotta love baseball.
It's going to be tough to top these first two games in Philadelphia. The only thing that might is an offensive explosion from both teams leading to a high scoring affair. Initially that may seem tough given the 2022 AL Cy Young winner, Justin Verlander, is taking the mound for the Astros. But in fact, Verlander has done nothing but struggle in the World Series. In his 8 World Series starts he is 0-6 with a 6.07 ERA with his team only winning one of those games. You have to imagine that this run will eventually end, maybe this game is finally his redemption.
The Phillies turn to their mid-season trade acquisition, Noah Syndergaard aka Thor, who was last seen in the World Series in 2015 as a part of the Mets. He is making his first start since the division series against the Braves where he only threw 3 innings in addition to two postseason relief appearances in the previous two rounds. So do not expect a long outing from him. Especially given the Phillies bullpen has been dominant so far this series, only giving up 2 runs in 17 innings, and with an off day tomorrow, you can be sure the leash will be short.
You can say the same thing about the Astros' pen, who has given up 1 earned run in 14+ innings. With that off day and a potential game 7 on the horizon, hot pitching arms will be rode and any ones showing a smidge of struggle will be yanked. An aspect to love about 7 game series is hitters on each team will now get a second, third and even fourth look at some of these pitchers. There will no longer be any surprises and as familiarity starts to set in, the advantage turns to those with the bats. Will that finally lead to that offensive breakout for both of these teams?
Our Game 5 Props are below to add some additional fun while you watch. All have nearly even chances of happening, so anyone can play. Grab some friendly competition and see who can get the most correct!
Astros to be winning at the end of the 5th inning:
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
Kyle Schwarber to score 1 Run or more:
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
Jose Altuve to have 2 or more Total Bases (hits only):
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
Alex Bregman to have 1 Strikeout or more:
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
Team to score last:
[ ] Phillies
[ ] Astros
Phillies Total Runs to be:
[ ] Odd
[ ] Even
Tiebreaker: Guess the Total Runs scored by both teams combined, closest to the result wins! (Currently estimated to be around 8)
PS. Fanatics is offering up to 65% off sitewide.
Photo by Peter Bond. Link to license.
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