The Houston Astros will be making their third World Series appearance in five seasons when they take on the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night in Game 1 of this year's Fall Classic as -135 home favourites on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Houston closed out its ALCS clash with three straight wins, capped by a series-clinching 5-0 victory in Game 6 that also marked the team's sixth win in seven home dates ahead of Tuesday night's Game 1 matchup at Minute Maid Park.
A return to the World Series marks a major turnaround for the Astros, who stumbled to a middling 29-31 record in 2020 and opened the current campaign as a +2200 wager on the World Series odds. Houston returned to familiar form this past season, claiming the AL West crown with a 95-67 record, the second best mark in the AL. The Astros now look to Tuesday's series opener set as -140 favourites to take home their first World Series title since 2017.
The Astros' climb to the top of the odds is fueled by their high-powered post-season performance. The team responded to lopsided losses to Boston in Games 2 and 3 of the ALCS by scoring 7.7 runs per game over its three subsequent wins, and has now scored nine or more runs in four of 10 post-season outings to date. The Astros have also produced fairly consistent results since the final week of the regular season, posting consecutive losses just once during their 9-3 overall run.
After knocking off the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in their NLCS clash, the Atlanta Braves make a long-awaited return to the World Series on Tuesday as +115 underdogs on the Game 1 odds at sports betting sites. Bounced from the NLCS by the Dodgers in seven games a year ago, the Braves exacted their revenge with a narrow 4-2 home win in Game 6 to punch their ticket to the World Series for the first time since 1999.
Prone to streaky play throughout much of the regular season, the Braves have found their groove at just the right time. The team has piled up a 19-5 record over its past 24 contests, including a 7-3 mark so far in the post-season. However, in addition to seeing each of those post-season losses come on the road, the Braves have also dropped five straight to Houston. Those trends have contributed to Atlanta sitting as the +117 underdog on the World Series odds going into Game 1.
