After what felt like forever but in reality was four days, the MLB returns tonight with Game 1 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays are the host team due to having the better regular season record, but the Dodgers are heavy favorites to win. Below, we explain some of our favorite World Series props.
The starting pitching matchup features Blake Snell as the Dodgers starter and Trey Yesavage for the Blue Jays. Along with being the series favorite, the Dodgers are also favored to win Game 1, best offered at (-150) on the moneyline at ESPN BET, with the Blue Jays at (+130).
First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, with Fox on the call. Register with the Fanatics Sportsbook promo to collect $250 in FanCash for these World Series props.
| World Series Prop | Odds |
| Blake Snell Over 17.5 Outs | -115 at Fanatics |
| Trey Yesavage Over 5.5 Strikeouts | +120 at Fanatics |
Snell Gets Through Six Innings Tonight
Despite Snell being an elite strikeout pitcher, the Blue Jays are essentially an elite team at not striking out, so, despite wanting to back Snell in this game tonight, strikeouts was not the way. Instead, we are pivoting to the outs market and betting on Snell to get through six full innnigs. This is generally a risk with the Dodgers having so many days off and technically a “fresh” bullpen, but the Dodgers lack of a bullpen is why this is a play in the first place.
The Dodgers have had a leaky bullpen the entire playoffs, but it has not mattered as their starting pitching has been so good they have not had to rely on their bullpen very much. They essentially have two reliable arms, and everything after that is a mystery. So, what this means is the Dodgers are counting on getting into the seventh inning with their starter.
Luckily, Snell has been able to do just that for them in these playoffs. He has gone at least six innings in all three starts, going 7, 6 and 8 innings, respectively. Dating back to the regular season he has actually pitched six full innings in eight of his last 10 starts, and has been downright unhittable. As good as the Blue Jays have been, the expectation is that Snell gets through at least the sixth inning, and possibly more.
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Yesavage Continues Ascent
It has been a wild ride for rookie Yasavage, who made his first MLB start five weeks ago, and now finds himself starting Game 1 of the World Series. He has electric stuff, striking out 7+ batters in two of his three playoff starts. That includes striking out 11 in his first playoff start against the Yankees, which was essentially his coming out party.
In these playoffs, his strikeout rate (36.1%) and K/9 (13/20) would both have led all qualified pitchers in the regular season. A three game sample is obviously a tiny sample size, but it shows just how good he has been in these playoffs. The Dodgers are a very good hitting team, but with all the power swingers in their lineup they can end up racking up the strikeouts as well.
Their strikeout rate in the postseason is 23.7%, which would have tied them for the fifth-highest strikeout rate of all teams in the regular season. Yesavage might end up giving up some runs, but he is also likely to mow down the Dodgers bats in the process. Trust him to get to six strikeouts tonight.
