By Evan Biancardi

So, it looks like my World Series prediction couldn’t have been more wrong. After a crazy postseason through the Championship Series, it will be the Astros and Dodgers competing in the Fall Classic.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will be competing for their seventh championship and first since 1988. They enter the postseason having won a league-best 104 games and lost just one game in the postseason. The Indians made headlines for setting a new American League record with 22 consecutive wins, but the Dodgers had an impressive run of their own, winning 43 times over a 50-game stretch. Unfortunately, the Dodgers followed up this run with an 11-game losing streak and finished the season 12-17 in the month of September. However, it seems as though their September struggles have failed to carry over into October.

Through eight postseason games, the Dodgers have hit a combined 13 home runs as a team, to go along with 48 runs scored and an OPS of .872. On the flip side, their pitching staff has posted a 2.28 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP with an opponents’ batting average of .169. More impressively, through 28.2 innings pitched, the bullpen has given up just three runs and allowed only two walks. What more could you ask for?

Representing the American League, the Houston Astros will be vying for their first World Series championship in franchise history, making just their second ever appearance in the World Series. Like the Dodgers, the Astros have had their streaks. With the league’s best record at the break, Houston followed up their 60-29 first half with an 11-17 record in August. On Aug. 31, with moments to spare before the deadline to acquire postseason-eligible players, the Astros responded by acquiring Justin Verlander. All he’s done is win the Most Valuable Player of the Championship Series, tossing 17 scoreless innings in two home starts.

As for the rest of the staff, well, the numbers aren’t as pretty as their counterparts. Unlike the Dodgers’ bullpen, Astros’ relievers have combined for a 5.03 ERA, giving up eight home runs in 34 innings pitched. However, these numbers are slightly deceiving, as their home and away splits are quite polarizing. Offensively, the Astros have recorded an OPS of .841 at Minute Maid. On the road, that number falls to .608. Their team ERA is inflated as well, as they allowed 19 runs in three games in the Bronx, compared to just three runs over four home games.
The Dodgers are the favorite entering Tuesday’s game, and in looking at the stats, it’s hard to argue that. The Dodgers aren’t exactly bulletproof, though. During the regular season, Los Angeles ranked 22nd in the league in batting average and were middle-of-the-pack in both home runs and runs scored. They did, however, lead baseball in walks.

I’d say we’re in for yet another great Fall Classic. And after watching Houston impressively defeat my Yankees, it’s hard not to pick them. That’s right, the Sports Illustrated prophecy will come true, and Carlos Beltran will finally get his ring. Astros in six.