Five-minute guide to Game 1 of the World Series: L.A. Dodgers vs. Houston Astros

By Ian Hunter

Baseball is a marathon from April to October, but the best teams from the regular season are often unceremoniously ousted by the time the World Series arrives. Clubs can steamroll the competition in the regular season, only to find their playoff aspirations snuffed out by an underdog with a worse regular season record.

In what seems like a rare occurrence, two of baseball’s very best teams will meet in this year’s Fall Classic. Both the Dodgers and Astros enjoyed tremendous regular-season success, and while the Astros’ path to the World Series was a little more arduous than the Dodgers’, both teams are just four wins from a championship. For LA, it would be the first since 1988. For Houston, it would be the first ever.

Because it’s best-on-best in this contest, there are quite a few angles, narratives and storylines to watch as the World Series gets underway Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Here are five things to keep your eye on.

Can Clayton Kershaw exorcise his postseason demons?

This might be the biggest single-player narrative entering the 2017 World Series. Kershaw’s playoff struggles are well-documented; in 21 playoff appearances since 2008, he owns an ERA of 4.40 ERA. That’s a far departure from his 2.36 career ERA outside the playoffs. Obviously, Kershaw is a much better pitcher than his postseason performance indicates.

However, until he takes home a World Series ring, the shadows of Octobers past may loom like a black cloud over the Dodgers’ ace. He can silence a lot of critics by putting forth a solid start or two in the World Series.

After all, it's possible to shake the reputation as someone who goes cold in the playoffs. Just ask Alex Rodriguez, who up until 2009 was regarded as a player who habitually didn’t show up in October. Then he slashed .365/.500/.808 in the 2009 playoffs on the way to a World Series victory.

Thanks to that one playoff run, A-Rod completely changed the narrative of his playoff legacy; Kershaw can do the same during this World Series.

Will the Dodgers’ bullpen continue its dominance?

The Dodgers’ relievers are riding a 24-inning scoreless streak, and LA’s relievers haven’t given up an earned run in their past five consecutive playoff games. Tony Watson surrendered a pair of earned runs in Game 2 of the NLDS, and since then the Dodgers’ relievers have combined to allow zero earned runs.

The Dodgers held the Cubs to an 0-for-27 stretch during the NLCS, which set a new MLB record for the longest hitless streak by a relief corps to start a postseason series. As if their bullpen wasn’t dominant enough, the Dodgers now have all their relievers fully rested and ready to go for the World Series.

Kenta Maeda has moved to the bullpen and complements a stellar relief staff of Kenley Jansen, Brandon Morrow, Josh Fields and Tony Cingrani.

How’s this for unsettling news for the Astros? Jansen has struck out close to 43 percent of the batters he’s faced in the playoffs thus far. He’s allowed only two hits during eight innings of relief.

Given his regular-season dominance, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the fact that Jansen and the Dodgers are carrying these results deep into October only bodes well for their World Series odds.

Can the Astros’ bullpen figure itself out?

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Astros’ bullpen has struggled mightily throughout the 2017 postseason. Ken Giles, Joe Musgrove, Francisco Liriano and Chris Devinski have combined to toss 13.1 innings in relief to a tune of an 8.78 ERA.

With that in mind, one can see why A.J. Hinch would be reluctant to hand the ball over to the bullpen in late and close situations against the Dodgers. As a team, the entire Astros bullpen owns a 5.03 ERA in the playoffs.

During the regular season, the Astros’ weak underbelly was their bullpen. Unfortunately, a weak relief corps has carried over into the playoffs. However, Hinch managed his way around that in Game 7 of the ALCS in bypassing the bullpen altogether and going to Lance McCullers for the final 12 outs.

That may have been doable in a win-to-get-in Game 7, but over the course of a potential seven-game series, the Astros will have to dip into the bullpen eventually. Given how the games have gone for Houston thus far, calling upon relievers may be a scary proposition.

Who will be the Dodgers’ next unlikely playoff hero?

During Game 5 of the NLCS, the world was introduced to Enrique Hernandez. If baseball fans didn’t know who he was before that performance in the Dodgers’ series-deciding game, they certainly know him now.

Chris Taylor is another name that’s flown under MLB’s collective radar this year, but his co-MVP award in the NLCS legitimized the Dodgers’ center fielder. Because of Corey Seager’s sudden injury, Taylor was thrust into the shortstop role for a few games against the Cubs and filled in admirably.

More than any other team in 2017, the Dodgers have been able to bridge the gap between their everyday starters and the next guy on the depth chart. The 2017 Dodgers are like an alligator that loses its tooth, only to have another one regenerate within seconds.

Who will be that next tooth in the gator's mouth? If Hernandez literally came out of left field to have one of the single-greatest playoff games by a Dodger, there’s no telling who the next unlikely hero might be for LA.

How far will A.J. Hinch push Justin Verlander?

Complete games are a rarity in general these days, but they’re practically the bigfoot of playoff baseball. Only one man has managed to wrangle this mythical creature in this year's postseason: Justin Verlander.

Because he’s starting Game 2 of the World Series, Verlander may not get the opportunity to make three starts against the Dodgers, but Hinch would be wise to maximize the outs from Verlander in Game 2 and potentially Game 5.

Given the performance of the Astros’ bullpen this October, one would be reluctant to hand the game over to the bullpen unless Verlander ran into serious trouble.

If this series goes to seven games, there’s a scenario in which Verlander comes out of the bullpen in Game 7. Considering how many starters have pitched in relief already this postseason, it wouldn’t be all that surprising.

One thing’s for sure: It’s difficult to envision the Astros overtaking the Dodgers without Verlander being the dominant pitcher that he was during the ALCS. 

By Bob Hille

The Fall Classic is going to feel like a mid-summer series for a pair of red-hot teams, according to AccuWeather.com. The temperature at game time (5 p.m. PT) for the opener is forecast to be in the mid-to-upper 90s after a daytime high of 100.

Game 2 Wednesday will be after an expected daytime high of 102 degrees.

“Games 1 and 2 could be the hottest World Series games on record at the time of first pitch,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.

Both days' forecast highs — in large part because of moderate Santa Ana winds — would break records for the dates at a time of year when the normal high in L.A. is 78 degrees.

According to AccuWeather.com, the hottest game-time temperature in the World Series history is believed to have been Oct. 27, 2001, in Phoenix, when it was in the mid-90s for a Yankees-Diamondbacks game after a daytime high of 98.

By 8 p.m. PT Tuesday and Wednesday in Los Angeles, the temperature is expected to drop into the 80s.

The series shifts to Houston's retractable-roof Minute Maid Park for Games 3 and 4, at least, on Friday and Saturday.

By Alec Brzezinski

The Dodgers are back in the World Series for the first time since 1988, when they beat the Athletics with help from Kirk Gibson's iconic fist-pumping home run. Here are three reasons the Dodgers will win:

1. Home-field advantage

The Dodgers have won all four of their home postseason games this year, and the Astros just lost three straight in New York. The best teams usually win in the postseason — regardless of venue — especially in a best-of-seven series, but the Dodgers should feel comfortable at home.

The Dodgers are batting .289 with 26 runs scored at home this postseason. The Astros are 1-4 on the road, batting .213 with just 13 runs scored. Houston has scored 31 runs at home, where it is undefeated this postseason. This series could come down to momentum, which gives the Dodgers the upper hand.

2. The Dodgers have the best closer in baseball

While Aroldis Chapman may get all the hype due to his 100-plus mph fastball, Kenley Jansen is as cool as they come when a game is on the line. Jansen has three saves and a win this postseason. He has allowed just two hits and no runs through eight innings, posting a miniscule 0.38 WHIP.

But it's not just Jansen leading the Dodgers' bullpen. Guys like Tony Cingrani, Kenta Maeda (a starter during the regular season) and Brandon Morrow have been nearly unhittable this postseason. Teams with that many dominant options in their bullpen are tough to beat.

3. Multiple offensive weapons

The Astros' lineup gets a lot of attention — deservedly so — after scoring the most runs during the regular season. But the Dodgers can hit, too. Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig, Cody Bellinger and Chris Taylor are all batting at least .278 while adding power and patience at the plate.

Corey Seager might return to the Dodgers' lineup, further strengthening their vaunted attack. Even if Seager is limited or unable to play, his replacement, Charlie Culberson, batted .455 against the Cubs. The Dodgers will be capable of beating the Astros in close games and offensive outbursts.

By Thomas Lott

These are the two best teams in baseball and they have been all year. Apart from one huge winning streak by the Indians, the Astros have been the best team in the American League all season while the Dodgers have had no equal in the National League this year despite an extended late-summer slump. This is the series 2017 deserved and either team could win, but here are three reasons the Astros will win.

1. The Astros love to throw the slider and the Dodgers can't hit it

There is no team in baseball that loves breaking pitches more than the Astros. They love their spin rates and they love their sliders. They throw them early and they throw them often and it has been their most effective pitch this season.

According to Fangraphs, Dallas Keuchel has a .176 batting average against his, and Justin Verlander has held batters to a .215 average with the pitch. While Lance McCullers Jr. and Charlie Morton both throw curveballs their pitches are closer to slurves (a pitch between a slider and curve) and they have the same effect as the pitch. McCullers has a .192 average against his breaking pitch while Charlie Morton is holding batters to a .104 clip.

In addition to that Houston's best relievers, Joe Musgrove, Luke Gregerson, Ken Giles, Brad Peacock and Francisco Liriano all have good sliders and love to throw them a lot.

As good as their pitches are and as much as they like to throw them, the Dodgers have trouble hitting them, too. No batter amongst Los Angeles' regulars has a batting average higher than .262 against sliders while Corey Seager is hitting .221 and Game 7 hero Enrique Hernandez is batting .082.

2. In recent years the better hitting team wins

In each of the last four years the team with the better regular-season OPS (on-base plus slugging) has won the World Series. In seven of the last 10 years the same thing holds true.

Houston was the best hitting team all year long in baseball. The Astros had the most runs scored, the highest batting average, the most doubles, the most RBIs, the best on-base percentage and the highest OPS.

The first five games against the Yankees were the outlier, but the Astros found their bats again in Games 6 and 7 of the ALCS and look to be back to their old selves. That's bad news for the Dodgers.

3. Houston is the more battle-tested team

It was a fair question to ask heading into Game 6 of the ALCS if the Astros had played any must-win games this season. They hadn't and they had shown nothing to prove that they could win a game like that.

But after knocking off a Cy Young award candidate in Luis Severino in Game 6, a veteran lefty in CC Sabathia in Game 7, and scoring seven runs off the best bullpen in baseball in those two games, they proved they can win a game when they have to.

The Dodgers now face the question how they'll hold up to a must-win game. They haven't had any pressure on them in the playoffs and the last time they had a must-win game, Games 5 and 6 of the NLCS in 2016, Los Angeles lost both times. Houston has proven it can win when it must. Los Angeles still needs to prove it can do so.

Every roster spot matters in the World Series. Even the guys who don’t get an opportunity to make much of an impact matter. Their presence on the roster provides peace of mind, insurance for the manager should something crazy happen during a game. And crazy things happen during World Series games all the time. 

With that thought, we decided to rank not just the top 25 or 30 players on the World Series rosters, but all 50. The idea was to mesh talent, opportunity and performance and come up with a ranking that, admittedly, was never going to be perfect but would try to show how these guys stack up against one another. So let’s jump in, shall we? 

World Series player rankings

50. Juan Centeno, Astros
49. Derek Fisher, Astros
48. Luke Gregerson, Astros
47. Joc Pederson, Dodgers
46. Joe Musgrove, Astros
45. Francisco Liriano, Astros
44. Tony Watson, Dodgers
43. Brandon McCarthy, Dodgers
42. Cameron Maybin, Astros
41. Charlie Culberson, Dodgers

Thoughts: The list of the best 50 players on a World Series roster has to start somewhere, right? So we’ll start with the third-string catcher for the Astros, the “break glass in case of emergency” playoff contributor who can go from afterthoughts to incredibly important with one injury. After Centeno, we have a collection of reserves who haven’t/won’t see much action (hi, Derek FIsher!) and guys who struggled in both the regular season and the playoffs (hi, Joc Pederson!). There's one pitcher who hasn't thrown a pitch all postseason (hi, Brandon McCarthy!) We also have a couple of relievers who could be called on to get big outs, so it feels wrong to have them so far down on the list (hi, Tony Watson and Joe Musgrove!), but these guys have to fit somewhere on the list, and it’s here. As for Charlie Culberson, he was fantastic in the NLCS (5-for-11, two doubles and a triple), but Corey Seager’s back on the roster, which means Culbertson’s role could be very diminished.  

40. Collin McHugh, Astros
39. Tony Cingrani, Dodgers
38. Ross Stripling, Dodgers
37. Chase Utley, Dodgers
36. Carlos Beltran, Astros
35. Andre Ethier, Dodgers
34. Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers
33. Will Harris, Astros
32. Logan Forsythe, Dodgers
31. Josh Fields, Dodgers

Thoughts: Lots of veterans in this section. Beltran has long been one of baseball’s best “hasn’t won a World Series yet” players, and he’s an important part of Houston’s lineup … in Houston. He’s down on this list a bit, though, because he’s DH/PH-only at this point in his career, which means limited playing time when the games are in Los Angeles. Utley won a title with the Phillies, but Ethier has spent his entire career with the Dodgers waiting for No. 1. Maybin is the type of player who can impact a game late with his speed on the bases. Grandal, a left-handed hitter, will have a chance to contribute against Verlander and McCullers. McHugh could be interesting in this series; he’s been a starter his entire career, but with the addition of Justin Verlander and McHugh’s injury issues this season, he’s been in the bullpen for the playoffs. He’s the type of innings-eater who could play a huge role, though, in a seven-game series. 

30. Brad Peacock, Astros
29. Evan Gattis, Astros
28. Kenta Maeda, Dodgers
27. Josh Reddick, Astros
26. Alex Wood, Dodgers
25. Enrique Hernandez, Dodgers
24. Chris Devenski, Astros
23. Austin Barnes, Dodgers
22. Charlie Morton, Astros
21. Marwin Gonzalez, Astros

Thoughts: Most of the Astros in this section — specifically Peacock, Reddick, Devenski and Gonzalez — have struggled more in the postseason than they did during outstanding regular-season campaigns. The playoffs are still a relatively small sample size, though, so we’re not banishing them to the bottom of this list. Hernandez, of course, had the epic three-homer game against the Cubs in the NLCS-clinching Game 5, and Barnes has been a pleasant surprise for L.A. this season. 

20. Ken Giles, Astros
19. Brian McCann, Astros
18. Brandon Morrow, Dodgers
17. Rich Hill, Dodgers
16. Alex Bregman, Astros
15. Corey Seager, Dodgers 
14. Dallas Keuchel, Astros
13. Yuli Gurriel, Astros
12. Cody Bellinger, Dodgers
11. Yu Darvish, Dodgers

Thoughts: Let’s start with this: If we knew Seager was completely healthy and ready to make a typical Corey Seager-type impact, he’d definitely have a top-10 spot. We don’t, though, and with two stacked rosters, this is where he winds up, behind a ton of talented players. And, yeah, it feels like Keuchel and Darvish are too low, too, right? Look at the guys in front of them, though. Gurriel had his struggles adjusting to life in the big leagues after spending the first decade of his career in Cuba, but he found himself in 2017 and has been spraying line drives all over the field in October. I’m not sure many folks outside of L.A. understand how important Morrow has been for the Dodgers this year. The right-hander had a 2.06 ERA/1.55 FIP in 45 regular-season appearances and he’s allowed just four baserunners in 8.1 postseason innings. Bregman and McCann teamed up for one of the most important outs at the plate in any October game (in Game 7 against the Yankees) and they’ve both come up with big hits for the Astros during the playoffs, too. 

MORE: Astros playing with greater purpose after Hurricane Harvey

10. George Springer, Astros
Springer’s one of those heart-and-soul-of-the-team guys who plays with passion — and a ton of talent. You saw his leaping catches in Games 6 and 7 of the ALCS, and he’s been solid as Houston’s leadoff hitter, too. 

9. Yasiel Puig, Dodgers
The man legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully loved to call “The Wild Horse” has been amazing during the postseason. Puig is hitting .417 with six RBIs, six runs scored and four extra-base hits (two doubles, a triple and a homer) in eight games. There was never a doubt Puig had the talent to lead the Dodgers to a World Series, and it’s been fun watching him actually make that happen. 

8. Lance McCullers Jr., Astros
We’ve said for a while that McCullers has the stuff to be a star on October’s bright stage, and he proved us right with a dominating performance in the ALCS. He limited the Yankees to two hits in six stellar innings in his Game 4 start, then closed out Game 7 by allowing only one hit in four shutout relief innings. The idea of trying to square up his curveball has to be giving the Dodgers nightmares. 

7. Chris Taylor, Dodgers
Zero people expected Taylor to become an essential piece of the Dodgers’ postseason success, but here he is, starting games in center field and at shortstop (while Seager was out in the NLCS) and being a pest at the plate and on the bases. In eight playoff games, he’s scored eight runs and has five extra-base hits: two homers, two doubles and a triple. 

6. Justin Turner, Dodgers
Getting Turner out was a huge problem for both the Diamondbacks and Astros. He’s driving the ball with authority (and has been for a couple years now) but here’s an underrated Turner skill: He spoils lots of good two-strike pitches by fouling them off, which gives him the chance to do damage with a better pitch later in the count. 

5. Carlos Correa, Astros
The kid’s a superstar. Correa, who just turned 23 in September, was in the AL MVP conversation before he missed several weeks with a thumb injury. He has a .931 OPS in the postseason with three homers, four doubles and nine RBIs in 11 games. 

MORE: Catch up on the old rivalry between the Astros and Dodgers

4. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
Kershaw is the best starting pitcher in baseball, and he has been for quite a while now. That’s not really up for debate. Think about this: He has a 1.95 ERA in the past five regular seasons (141 starts). That’s insane. It’s also true that Kershaw has had his share of playoff hiccups, including a four-homer start against Arizona in the NLDS. He was brilliant in the NLCS-clincher against the Cubs last week, allowing just three hits and one run in six innings in Game 5.

3. Justin Verlander, Astros
The veteran right-hander has been everything the Astros could have possibly hoped for when they acquired him moments before the deadline for players to be playoff-eligible. After a 1.06 ERA in five regular-season starts with Houston, Verlander has a 1.46 ERA in 24.2 playoff innings. This is the type of impact GMs dream of their acquisitions making. 

2. Kenley Jansen, Dodgers
Yes, I’ll admit, this feels high for a relief pitcher. But when Jansen enters a playoff game for the Dodgers, the game is over. Done. In the 2017 postseason, Jansen has 12 strikeouts in eight innings; he’s allowed only four base runners and one unearned run. Want more numbers? He’s never blown a playoff save in his career, and five of those 11 postseason saves have been more than three outs. Jansen’s faced 111 hitters in his postseason career, and he’s struck out 47 of them, against only 14 hits allowed. In 24 career playoff relief appearances, he’s allowed an earned run only twice. In October, it’s hard to get better than automatic, and Jansen’s automatic. He’s the single-most automatic player on this list. 

1. Jose Altuve, Astros
Altuve has been one of baseball’s best players for several years, and he'll likely be the AL MVP after batting .346 with 24 home runs, 32 stolen bases, a .957 OPS and 8.3 WAR. And he’s shown this month that he’s not intimidated by the playoff stage, either. Altuve hit three homers in Game 1 of the ALDS, and he’s batting .400 with a .500 on-base percentage and 1.275 OPS so far this postseason.

This season, the MLB All-Star Game did not determine which league will have home-field advantage for the World Series. The team with the better record will now hold home-field advantage in the World Series, and because the Dodgers had an MLB-best 104-58 record during the regular season, they get the honor. 

By Gabrielle McMillen

Can the Dodgers win their seventh World Series?

According to the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, the odds are in Los Angeles' favor that it will defeat the Astros for the championship title.

ESPN.com reported that by Sunday morning, the Dodgers' odds sit at -160 for them to win it all. These odds come after the Astros knocked the Yankees out of title contention with a 4-0 victory in Game 7 of the ALCS Saturday night.

This marks the first time since 1988 the Dodgers have been back to the World Series. They won that year, and have previous Series titles from 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965 and 1981.

Meanwhile, the Astros have only been to the World Series once before — in 2005, where they lost to the White Sox.

The Westgate SuperBook considered both teams playoff contenders, but neither were favorites to go to the World Series.

By Joe Rodgers

Clayton Kershaw is a three-time Cy Young Award winner, MVP, seven-time All-Star, five-time NL ERA leader and will likely go down as one of the best pitchers of all time. The Dodgers ace will get the call in Game 1 of the World Series Tuesday in Los Angeles against the Astros, who are not fazed by Kershaw's Hall of Fame accolades. 

"At this time of year you're not going to face too many guys that aren't pretty good, and it's hard to argue that you're going to face anybody better than Kershaw," Astros manager A.J. Hinch told reporters Monday. "He's got every weapon that you would fear. He's got that competitiveness that every ace has. He's got some hardware on his shelf at home. And he's pitching in front of his home crowd. There's a lot of things tilted in his favor.

"But we're not going to back down. We're not afraid of him. We're not going to concede anything because we've got a pretty good team on our own side."

Kershaw hasn't given the Astros a reason to be nervous with a career 4.40 postseason ERA including giving up six homers in three playoff starts this season. He last faced the Astros in 2015, hurling eight innings of one-run ball with 10 strikeouts but knows this time around is completely different. 

"They're a great team. Their whole lineup is really solid. You saw that all year," Kershaw said Monday. "They won a hundred games for a reason. Starts without Altuve and Correa in the middle of that lineup. They're both exceptional baseball players. Really all the way down. They have a lot of guys that swing the bats well.

"No, I'm not going to do anything differently, I guess, except try and not give up a home run and strike a few guys out."

Kershaw will have to be careful with Astros star Jose Altuve, who is batting .400 with five homers and eight RBIs. 

"He hits everything pretty well," Kershaw said of Altuve. "I think that he's super aggressive. But at the same time he hits a lot of different pitches. It's not a guy that just hits fastballs well or just hits breaking ball well. He does everything pretty evenly throughout the board.

"Just a matter of execution with him. You're just trying to mix up spots, pitches, locations, don't give him any predictable counts, predictable pitches. He's a tough out. I think he's one of the toughest outs in the game. You just can't give in to him."

By Alec Brzezinski

The Dodgers host the Astros Tuesday night in Game 1 of the World Series and will have a familiar face back in team colors.

Shortstop Corey Seager was held off the NLCS roster due to a back injury, but Los Angeles included him in their 25-man World Series roster.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed optimism all along that Seager would be fit to play for the World Series, and he was right.

Seager, a two-time NL All-Star, batted .295 with 22 home runs and 77 RBIs this season.

By Tom Gatto

The same four starters who helped pitch the Dodgers into the 2017 World Series are slated to take the mound for the Fall Classic. Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Yu Darvish and Alex Wood will face the Astros, beginning with Kershaw in Game 1 Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday that he was considering possibly flipping Hill and Darvish based on who won the ALCS. In the end, Roberts followed the "If it ain't broke" school of thought.

"There was a little bit of the ballpark thing, whether we'd play in Yankee Stadium or (Houston's) Minute Maid (Park)," Roberts said, per MLB.com. "Ultimately, we defaulted to what's been working. The guys can stay on their schedules and routines and we feel good about it."

The quartet has indeed been working. A look at their numbers through eight postseason games (seven LA wins):

Kershaw

2-0, 3.63 ERA; 16 strikeouts, five walks in 17 1/3 innings (three starts).

Hill

0-0, 3.00; 12 strikeouts, four walks in nine innings (two starts).

Darvish

2-0, 1.59; 14 strikeouts, one walk in 11 1/3 innings (two starts).

Wood

0-1, 5.79; seven strikeouts, no walks in 4 2/3 innings (one start).

If Roberts changes his mind about Wood, he could go with right-hander Brandon McCarthy or left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu. MLB.com reported each threw a simulated game Sunday.

By Sarah Wexler

The 2017 World Series is a meeting of teams that match up well in a lot of ways. The Dodgers and Astros both have deep lineups, as well as excellent rotations that feature a couple of frontline starters. There is one area where the teams differ, though. When it comes to relief pitching, the Dodgers seem to have the clear edge. This is true whether one looks at regular season or postseason stats. 

So far in the playoffs, the Dodgers' bullpen is responsible for just three earned runs in 28 2/3 innings pitched. It has allowed 12 hits (one home run), issued two walks and struck out 32 batters. The Astros' bullpen, conversely, has struggled a fair amount. In 34 innings pitched, it has allowed 19 earned runs and given up 31 hits (eight home runs) and 14 walks, while striking out 33 batters. 

Part of the Astros’ issue is that some pitchers who were expected to be great turned out to be mediocre. Luke Gregerson in particular stands out as an underperformer. Also, both Will Harris and Chris Devenski had good seasons, but didn’t live up to their performances from last year (though it should be noted that Harris missed time with inflammation in both shoulders this year). The closer, Ken Giles, has been Houston’s most reliable arm, but he’s faltered in the playoffs, allowing five runs in six innings of work so far.

While a number of things have gone wrong for the Houston bullpen, just about everything has gone right for its LA counterpart — guys with good stuff executing when asked, as well as nearly perfect deployment by manager Dave Roberts.
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Justin Turner talks with teammate Kenley Jansen on the eve of Game 1.

Josh Reddick of the Houston Astros talks with manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers on the eve of Game 1.

Kenta Maeda and Yu Darvish talk on the field on the eve of Game 1.