This has been an exciting World Series thus far, with the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies putting on a show for everyone to enjoy. While many people thought Houston would dominate, that hasn’t been the case, with the Phillies making a splash. In this piece, we have MLB picks for Game 5 of the World Series, which will be played in Philadelphia. Which team will come out on top?
Astros are the favorites to win Game 5
This will be a close one, but the Astros are the favorites to win Game 5 in this case. That’s because they’ll be sending Justin Verlander out on the bump, and he’ll be facing Noah Syndergaard. This gives the Astros the advantage, as they rely on Verlander and his strong right arm to do the job for this team.
Despite this game being played at Citizens Bank Park in Philly, Houston will look to make a big-time splash in this one. Not only will plenty of eyes be on Verlander, but big games will also be expected from Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and others. The Astros are in the MLB Finals for the second-straight year, hoping to avenge last season’s loss to Atlanta.
Meanwhile, the Phillies they’re hoping to protect the home-field advantage and record what could prove to be a massive Game 5 victory. The pressure will be on Syndergaard, best known for his time in Queens playing for the New York Mets. He has the chance to win over countless fans in Pennsylvania if he can step up with a great showing.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Astros hold -115 MLB odds to win this one, while the Phillies have been set at +125. This makes sense since Verlander is taking the hill for this matchup. Despite Verlander being so good, the Phillies continue to shock us all this postseason. We think that will continue with a Game 5 win. The Phillies are our pick.
Phillies are now the favorites to win the World Series
In a complete and surprising turn of events, the Phillies are now the favorites to win the World Series. Who in the heck thought that would end up being the case? This team watched the Braves win the NL East, and they weren’t even expected to get past the NL Wild Card Round. However, the Phillies took down the Cardinals in a pretty eye-opening fashion.
Then, they had a date with the Braves in the NLDS. Surely there was no chance they’d be able to come out on top, right? Wrong. Philadelphia took care of business going up against the reigning World Series champs, and then they had no trouble owning the San Diego Padres in the NLCS. This set up the intriguing matchup with the Astros in the Fall Classic.
Once again, Houston was expected to make easy work of this team, but that hasn’t been the case. The Phillies are right there to potentially win the World Series, which would be epic for the city. If this team goes all the way, Bryce Harper will be one of the key figures for it. The reigning NL MVP has been spectacular all postseason.
Per the oddsmakers, the Phillies hold -120 odds of winning the World Series, and the Astros are now at +115. Before the World Series started, Houston had huge numbers to win it all, but things have now been flipped. From our chair, the momentum is on Philly’s side. We’re going with them to be the champs. Agree? Check out our best betting sites to get a wager in.
Bryce Harper could end up winning World Series MVP
Should the Phillie capture the glory, Bryce Harper could end up winning World Series MVP. As things stand, Harper is the favorite to take home that honor, as he’s been set at +170. This is all going to come down to whether or not the Phillies can do the unthinkable and lift the trophy at the series’ end. If they do, then Harper will be the guy to win MVP.
Standing in his way are the Houston Astros as a whole. Game 5 will be massive for both of these clubs and could change the entire outcome of the series. If Verlander powers Houston to a strong win leading up to things going back to Houston, then the Phillies could be in trouble. But if they win and Harper plays a big role in things as expected, then it will only increase his MVP odds.
Harper has been a fantastic player ever since he was a youngster. He won NL MVP last year, and he’d love to add World Series MVP to his trophy case. Since we’re rocking with the Phillies, we’re going to double down and go with Harper to win MVP too.
With a background as a writer, Rodrigo has managed to bring together his hobbies and education writing sports content for various top-tier sites around the world.