MLB World Series Preview and Predictions

Two of baseball’s most historic franchises face off in the 2018 World Series.

[All odds correct at time of publication]

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking for their first MLB championship in 30 years but will have to overcome the team with the best record this year in the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox are the odds-on favourites heading into the series, which begins tonight at Fenway Park.

Red Sox vs Dodgers Betting Tips

Here are our predictions for the World Series, for which we have a wide range of betting markets:

The lowdown

It’s been a tremendous season for the Red Sox, with new manager Alex Cora seeing his players consolidate a franchise-record 108-win regular season with dominant displays in the American League postseason.

The Red Sox won all five of their road games against the New York Yankees and defending champions Houston Astros, making them the favourites in the World Series odds ahead of Game 1.

With one of the sport’s deepest hitting line-ups ever assembled, led by top MVP candidates Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, combined with an incredible defensive outfield with rightfielder Betts a prime member of that terrific trio, many signs point to Boston getting their fourth world championship in 14 years.

But the Dodgers will feel that it is in their destiny to end their franchise’s three decades-long World Series title drought. After falling to the Astros in six games in last year’s Fall Classic, the Blue and White are back to complete unfinished business.

Lead by star pitcher Clayton Kershaw and their own talented offense, the back-to-back National League champions returned to baseball’s biggest stage by overcoming the Atlanta Braves in four games in the divisional round, then outlasted the Milwaukee Brewers in a memorable seven-game National League Championship Series.

Without any doubt, the Dodgers are determined to give the City of Angels a long-awaited ticker-tape baseball parade.

Where the World Series will be won or lost

It will be an upset if the Dodgers overcome the Red Sox in the World Series despite Dave Roberts’ ballclub having quality starting pitching lead by Kershaw.

Boston proved in the American League Championship Series that even the Astros’ reigning title-winning rotation could not stop their dynamic, deep offensive lineup.

Making the Red Sox even more ominous to face at the moment is their own standout starting pitching. The emergence of Nathan Eovaldi and possible sign of David Price ending his postseason struggles in the ALCS Game 5 clincher further the odds of another Fenway title forthcoming, especially with Chris Sale healthy enough to pitch Game 1 after his illness last week.

If there is one major Boston weakness that the Dodgers could exploit, it is the questions surrounding Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel and his continuous issues trying to ensure victory for his team. Kimbrel has been very fortuitous to not have three blown saves this postseason, as he was a whisker away in all of those games from potentially having the Red Sox eliminated instead of where they are now.

Instead Kimbrel survived those hairy moments, but he must improve if the Red Sox are to close their dominant 2018 season with baseball’s ultimate prize.

Despite the concerns surrounding Kimbrel, the Red Sox are the smart bet to win yet another World Series at 7/10. For bigger World Series odds, we’re backing them to win in six games at 15/4 as the second of our World Series predictions.

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