Astros vs. Braves: World Series Game 4 Home Run Derby Roundtable

It's time for a new edition of 'Home Run Derby:' Wagering Edition!

Ahead of tonight's Game 4 World Series matchup between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves, our team at BetSided is swinging for the fences and looking to cash in on who will go yard this evening from Minute Maid Park in Houston.

The Astros are down 2-1 in the series after Ian Anderson tossed 5 no-hit innings in Game 3 to win 2-0, and the oddsmakers at WynnBET have them as slight underdogs (-102, so bet $102 to win $100) to win Game 4 tonight on the moneyline, Meanwhile, the Braves are -108 home favorites in Game 4.

Atlanta holds -170 odds to win the World Series, needing two more wins to go. Houston is currently +150 to come back and win the Fall Classic.

Zack Greinke (0-0, 7.71 ERA in the postseason) gets the ball for the Astros tonight against left-hander Dylan Lee (0-0, 3.38 ERA) making his postseason starting debut.

Let's go around the horn and predict which Braves or Astros player we expect to leave the park!

Braves vs. Astros: World Series Game 4 Picks to Hit a Home Run

• Ozzie Albies (+455)
• Freddie Freeman (+465)
• Michael Brantley (TBD)

Ozzie Albies (+455) 

Alright, so maybe my pick to win World Series MVP isn't quite panning out like I hoped, but I refuse to believe that Albies will go the entire MLB postseason without hitting a dinger. He's "due" to hit one, and I think tonight is the night he gets it done.

Greinke gets the start for the Astros tonight, and he's allowed 30 home runs this MLB season, which is the most he's allowed in a season in his career. He's also already allowed one in the playoffs, despite only pitching a combined 2.1 innings.The Braves will hit at least one off of him tonight, and I'm banking on Albies finally getting his first of the playoffs. -- Iain MacMillan

Freddie Freeman (+465)

There's a similar theme here with my pick of Freddie Freeman to Iain's pick of Ozzie Albies. Both of them were our World Series MVP selections, and we need both of them to start hitting the ball over the fence.

Freeman has hit three postseason home runs and has gone 3-11 so far in the World Series with two runs driven in. He's also 6 for 30 lifetime against Greinke, so there's plenty of experience going in against a starting pitcher more prone than ever to giving up the long ball.

I think Freeman breaks through tonight and does it at very strong odds. -- Ben Heisler

Michael Brantley (TBD)

The Atlanta Braves have Dylan Lee on the mound tonight for a spot-start in a bullpen game, but I'd also expect to see plenty of Jesse Chavez tonight as well if Lee doesn't appear for long.

The Astros’ outfielder has homered off Chavez three times in 14 career at-bats. Chavez throws a cut-fastball 41.4 percent of the time, averaging 89 mph, and pairs it with a 91 mph sinker that he throws 34.9 percent of the time. So a soft-tossing righty that doesn’t change pitch speeds 76.3 percent of the time looks good for Brantley. Brantley has more of a line-drive stroke with a launch angle of 9.9, lower than most home run hitters, but has a .537 slugging percentage against fastball-heavy pitchers like Chavez this season. 

89 mph cutter + 9.9 launch angle = rocket dinger down the right field line. -- Thomas Snodgrass