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New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Game 1: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

Two of the most historic franchises in baseball will meet in the World Series for the first time since 1981 as the New York Yankees face the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Yankees won the American League pennant, beating the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians, and are the underdogs against the star-studded Dodgers. LA won the National League pennant by defeating the San Diego Padres and New York Mets, and this will be their toughest test yet.

The probable pitchers are Gerrit Cole for the Yankees and Jack Flaherty for the Dodgers, so let’s preview Game 1 of the World Series and see our expert’s best bets.

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Game 1 betting picks and predictions

Los Angeles Dodgers to win (-125)

The stage is set for a very exciting World Series between two of the highest payrolls in baseball. It’s the Yankees and Dodgers, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, and Gerrit Cole and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

There is plenty of star power between the two teams and the ticket prices might break a record. The first two games of the series will take place in Los Angeles so it wasn’t too surprising to see the Dodgers listed as slight favorites for the opener on Friday night.

The Dodgers have announced that Jack Flaherty will start Game 1 for his fourth appearance of the postseason. Flaherty struggled in the NLDS against the Padres but bounced back nicely against the Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS.

However, Flaherty got shelled in his second start of the NLCS as he allowed 8 runs, 8 hits, and 4 walks in just three innings in Game 5.

Dave Roberts reported after the game that Flaherty had been under the weather that day but still tried to start and give the Dodgers a chance of winning. That was a lesson learned for the Dodgers, and fortunately for Flaherty and L.A., he’s reportedly back to full health.

On paper, Gerrit Cole has been solid in the postseason. However, his advanced metrics are worrisome. Cole has a 3.31 ERA in three postseason starts against the Royals and Guardians but has allowed a .297 batting average and a .306 xBA.

His walk rate is also elevated to eight percent and he’s allowed a ridiculous 52 percent hard-hit rate. He’s been getting hit hard and his fastball has been a primary cause for his problems. That’s going to continue to be a problem if he does that against the Dodgers since LA has had one of the best offenses in the postseason.

The Dodgers scored 9, 3, 8, 10, 6 and 10 runs in their series win over the Mets in the NLCS and their entire lineup was producing. Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts have been leading the way, but Max Muncy, Tommy Edman, and Teoscar Hernández have also been phenomenal in the middle of the order.

I’m backing the better pitcher and more reliable offense in Game 1.

Over 8.5 total runs (-105)

The Over was a perfect 6-0 in the NLCS and a primary reason for the high scoring games was the Dodgers’ elite offense. The Los Angeles lineup hit for a .268 average, .395 on-base percentage, and .854 OPS against the Mets.

Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts were the perfect table setters for the middle of the lineup which finally came to life in the NLCS as Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, and Tommy Edman started to rack up the RBIs.

Edman was a trade deadline acquisition from the Cardinals and has been arguably their best pickup considering he was moved into the cleanup spot several times in the NLCS and finished the series with a .407 batting average and 11 RBIs. That was good enough for Edman to win NLCS MVP.

I have confidence in Flaherty to bounce back from his horrendous outing in Game 5 of the NLCS, but I still think he’s going to get hit. It’s going to be extremely difficult for any pitcher to limit the opposing offense just because of how dangerous each lineup is.

The New York lineup doesn’t have much of a history against Flaherty, but a few guys have seen him well like Anthony Rizzo, who is 9/21, and Juan Soto, who has six walks in 15 plate appearances against the right-hander.

Each team has gotten to this point because of their high-powered offense, and I don’t think that will change in the World Series.

Read more betting picks and predictions for the MLB on site.

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Game 1 odds

New York Yankees

+105 ML

Los Angeles Dodgers

-125 ML

Run Line

LA Dodgers -1.5

Total

O/U 8.5

New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Game 1 player props

Player Home Run Odds

Aaron Judge (NY Yankees)

+200

Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers)

+210

Giancarlo Stanton (NY Yankees)

+240

Max Muncy (LA Dodgers)

+375

Juan Soto (NY Yankees)

+320

Mookie Betts (LA Dodgers)

+450

Read the latest MLB news on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.

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