Astros Will Claim World Series on Saturday

Phillies vs. Astros, Game 6, 8:03 ET

Will the cheaters label go away if the Astros close out this series? Will the expectation be that Philadelphia will be able to make it back to the World Series if they lose? There are always questions that need answers, but in my opinion, there is no question about who wins this game. Let's break it down then put a play out on the game.

The Phillies saved Zack Wheeler for Game 6. I mentioned when I talked about Game 5 that I thought this was a mistake. A few people had some comments about that on Twitter to me and explained how Wheeler is tired and his velocity is down, etc. I don't fault anyone for disagreeing with me, but I also don't think that that bodes well for Wheeler if they think that he will be better with a little extra rest. Maybe I'm not being fair to the guy. He's thrown 30 innings already in the playoffs. He only pitched 153 in the regular season. Still, I think he will need weeks or months off to recover if they want to get his arm back to normal. Either way, he will go out and give it his all in this start. It just might be too little, too late. He didn't look great in his start against the Astros a week ago. He allowed four earned runs and five overall. If he isn't at his best, this will be a short night for him.

The Astros are turning to a guy that has been as consistent as possible for them in Framber Valdez. I've talked enough about the quality start streak he had this year, but more importantly, he's been just as reliable in the playoffs. He already went toe-to-toe with Wheeler and came out on top. He threw 6.1 innings against the Phillies and allowed just one earned run. He's had three starts in the playoffs and has only allowed three earned runs. He's allowed just four hits in every game. He's not a guy that you can always count on for a scoreless start, but you can absolutely count on him to keep you in any game.

In full disclosure, I'm 1-for-5 in World Series plays, meaning I'm not doing so hot. This game is crucial for my futures spread bet that I provided before the series started. And, even though Jeremy Pena is the favorite, the MVP is still up for grabs. I am taking the Astros to win this game - if you have the Astros ticket to cover the spread, you can guarantee profit by playing the Phillies, but I just don't see them winning this game. Give me the Astros at -150 and give them the trophy.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on Twitter: @futureprez2024