3 Bold Predictions for Braves vs. Astros World Series Game 6

The Houston Astros managed to extend the World Series past Game 5 and deny the Atlanta Braves the chance to win the World Series at home.

The Braves opened the game with a first-inning grand slam courtesy of Adam Duvall. Normally, this would spell the end for most teams. But, the Astros managed to claw their way back to beat Atlanta 9-5 and force a Game 6 in Houston. The Astros still need to win out if they want to beat the Braves, who lead the series 3-2, but momentum definitely shifted Sunday night. 

Now, with the series heading back to Houston, The Astros are slight -121 favorites to even this series up at three games-a-piece. Meanwhile, the Braves will fight tooth and nail to secure their first championship since the mid-90's.

With all the unexpected ups and downs from Game 5, what can we expect in Game 6? Let’s make three bold predictions for tonight’s World Series action

All odds are courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook. 

Jose Altuve hits a home run +360

Love him or hate him, Jose Altuve poses a huge danger to the Braves’ starter Max Fried. Fried struggled in Game 2 of this series, surrendering six runs in five innings. While Fried is a world-class talent, the Astros hit lefties consistently and for power. This goes double for Jose Altuve, especially in the postseason. Altuve has struggled at the plate overall during the playoffs with a .206 batting average. But, against lefties, that number jumps to .286. 

Altuve also leads the Astros with five long balls so far. One of those home runs was in Game 2 off Fried. I think, in general, the Braves will have a tough time in this game keeping the score in check. The Astros have the momentum and rake against lefties, and I think Altuve will be the powder keg that spurs this offense to a big night tonight. 

Max Fried doesn’t make it out of the 5th inning

This goes hand in hand with the previous prediction about Altuve. While I don’t think that Altuve alone will knock Fried out of this game, the Astros proclivity for raking against left-handed pitching. For a team in the World Series, their postseason splits are kind of shocking. Against RHP, the Astros have a combined batting average of .236 with 10 home runs and 69 strikeouts. 

Against LHP, however, the team batting average jumps to .304, with five home runs and 60 strikeouts. For reference, the team has had 217 ABs against lefties and 297 against righties. 

In game 2, Fried had a rough start but the Braves were coming off a Game 1 victory and the lefty had a longer leash because of this. Tonight, with the series tightening down the stretch, I don’t envision the Braves letting Fried struggle through five innings again. If he struggles, I expect Atlanta to make a bullpen call sooner than later. 

Both teams Score in the First Inning

I’ve already covered the matchup between Max Fried and the Astros lineup. They crush LHPs and I see no reason this doesn’t continue tonight. Also, in Game 2, Fried got hit early and often. 

The Astros will be starting Luis Garcia tonight who has five starts so far this postseason totaling 13 innings. In those 13 innings, Garcia has given up 11 runs. So, while the Braves are not the best team at blowing up right-handed pitchers, Garcia has seen his share of struggle in the last couple of weeks. 

So far, only game three of this game saw zero runs in the first inning but tonight is going to be a different story I think. These teams are both primed and ready to go and with the energy in the ballpark, I think we see sparks fly early.