Sports betting: Vegas Vic’s World Series pick; NFL, college football lines

Game 1/Tuesday, 8:09 p.m. Fox

Red Sox, Chris Sale -$140 vs. Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw +$120

Game 1 preview | Series schedule

Series odds

Red Sox -$145 vs. Dodgers, +$125

First Home Run of Game 1

No HR: 3-2

Solo HR: 6-5

Two-run HR: 3-1

Three-run HR: 10-1

Grand slam: 50-1

Odds to win series MVP

J.D. Martinez: 6-1
Manny Machado: 7-1
Mookie Betts: 7-1
Justin Turner: 8-1
Andrew Benintendi: 10-1
Clayton Kershaw: 12-1
Xavier Bogaerts: 12-1
Yasiel Puig: 15-1
Chris Taylor: 15-1
Max Muncy: 18-1
Chris Sale: 20-1
Cody Bellinger: 25-1
Rafael Devers: 25-1
David Price:  30-1
Joc Pederson: 30-1
Ian Kinsler:  30-1
Steve Pearce: 30-1
Matt Kemp: 40-1

Can you imagine Steve Carlton, Bob Gibson or Nolan Ryan standing in front of a microphone, with a straight face, saying that they had to spend the night in the hospital due to an infection from a BELLY-BUTTON RING?

Props to Chris Sale for the attempt at comedy, but piercings aside, Sale is a question mark. Or a handful of question marks. He was on the shelf for over a month from the middle of August to mid-September with a shoulder problem, and we'll probably never know why he spent the night at the hospital.

What we DO know is his fastball, which ran up to home plate like a pea, and was humming at 97/98 mph before the shoulder issues, dropped down to an average of 92 mph against the Astros. We also know that since coming back, he has not pitched more than 5 innings, and has been very un-Sale like in the playoffs, allowing 6 hits, 4 earned runs, and 6 BBs over 9 innings in his two starts.

The Dodgers are gonna trot out their horse, Clayton Kershaw, and with two wins and a loss so far in the playoffs, thinking about a little tickle. One interesting note to close: Los Angeles posted a 40-25 record against opposing lefthanders, while Boston was just 21-16. Hmmmmm. Thinking a piece on the Dodgers, with a $50 wager to win back $65.

Lines and odds provided by handicapper Vegas Vic

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