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Dodgers vs. Blue Jays Game 1 Best Bets – October 24

Can Kevin Gausman shut down the Dodgers in Game 1?
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Welcome in, welcome in. The Fall Classic has arrived. Game 1 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays is here, and it is time to break down where we are putting our hard-earned cash.
If you are new here, I live and die by my favorite prop: first five team totals. There is a ton of value in this market, and the sportsbooks continue to undervalue it. I nearly took the Dodgers’ first five team total over 1.5 the other day without even looking into the matchup, because frankly, I do not care who is on the bump for the Blue Jays or anyone else. Asking this Dodgers lineup to score two runs in the first five at anything under -150 is a gift. They have averaged over 2.5 runs in the first five innings all season long. Paying a little juice on a prop that 29 of 30 teams would have cleared throughout the year? That is what I call a gift.
LA vs. Gausman
Toronto will send right-hander Kevin Gausman to the mound for Game 1. At home this season, Gausman has posted a 3.33 ERA, allowing 4.25 hits and 2.3 runs per start. In the postseason, the 34-year-old has been sharp with a 2.00 ERA, giving up just 2.5 hits and one run per game. Still, he has yet to face an offense like this Dodgers lineup. The Mariners were a good test, but I believe he is due for regression after allowing only four runs total this postseason.
The numbers back that up. In his last three starts, Gausman’s ERA sits at 2.19, but his expected ERA is 5.07, with a 4.96 xFIP. Opponents are making 42.4% hard contact, barreling 12% of balls, and posting a .430 expected slugging with a .363 xwOBA.
With most of the Dodgers’ lineup batting right-handed, it is worth noting how righties have fared against him recently. The last 60 right-handed hitters to face Gausman own a .302 expected batting average, a .481 expected slugging, and a 60% hard contact rate. His 2.51 ERA over that stretch is hiding a 3.56 xERA.
Gausman has been excellent, but the metrics point to a correction coming. That is why I am backing the Dodgers to plate at least two runs in the first five innings of Game 1. It is a bet worth taking, and sweating out.
Best Bet: Dodgers First Five Team Total Over 1.5 Runs (-140) odds via BetOnline
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