World Series 2018: Dates, Format, Latest Odds and Predictions

The 2018 Major League Baseball playoffs have seen many close, drama-filled games as the World Series approaches. Both League Championship Series hold the possibility of either team going to the World Series, and are sure to bring more exciting baseball.

In the American League Championship Series, you have a matchup between two powerhouse teams—the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros. Houston—the defending World Series champions—won 103 games and the AL West. The Red Sox had the most wins in MLB this season, claiming the AL East with 108 victories. 

While the Astros swept the Cleveland Indians in the Division Series, the Sox had an exciting Division Series against their arch rival—the New York Yankees—that they won 3-1. If the Red Sox win on Thursday, they will advance to the World Series.

Meanwhile, the National League Championship Series has seen a back-and-forth contest between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brewers clinched the best record in the NL and won the Central division, while the Dodgers claimed their sixth straight NL West title.

The Brewers swept the Colorado Rockies in the Division Series, while the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 to advance to the NLCS. The two teams are currently caught up in a tight battle for the NL spot in the World Series. The two teams split the first four games, and there have been three victories decided by just one run.

While the teams continue to fight it out in the Championship Series, here's a look at the World Series schedule, format, odds, and a prediction for the matchup.

World Series Schedule

Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 23

Game 2: Wednesday, Oct. 24

Game 3: Friday, Oct. 26

Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 27

Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 28*

Game 6: Tuesday, Oct. 30*

Game 7: Wednesday, Oct. 31*

*If necessary

Schedule information is courtesy of MLB.com. All games will be televised on Fox and the start times are still to be determined.

World Series Format

The World Series is a best-of-seven format in a 2-3-2 schedule. 

From 2003-2016, home-field advantage in the World Series was decided by the champion of the league that won the All-Star Game.

However, that all changed prior to the 2017 season, resulting in home-field advantage being determined by winning percentage. Home field (Games 1-2 and 6-7 if necessary) goes to the team that had the higher regular-season winning percentage, regardless of Wild Card or Division Series results.

The Red Sox (108-54) would enjoy home field advantage over both the Brewers (96-67) and the Dodgers (92-71). Likewise, the Astros (103-59)—if they won the next three games to make it to the World Series—would have home-field advantage over both NL teams.

Courtesy of MLB News.

World Series Odds

Here are the most up-to-date World Series odds from OddsShark as of Thursday at 12 p.m. ET:

Boston Red Sox: -105 (0.95:1 odds)

LA Dodgers: +185 (1.85:1 odds)

Milwaukee Brewers: +800 (8:1 odds)

Houston Astros: +850 (8.5:1 odds)

Predicted Matchup

The World Series prediction is the Boston Red Sox facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Red Sox hosting games 1 and 2, as well as 6 and 7 if needed. 

The Red Sox have been a force to be reckoned with in 2018, with 108 regular-season wins and some incredible performances so far in the postseason. If you need further proof of how Boston performs in clutch situations, take a look at Andrew Benintendi's catch that stopped the Astros from potentially tying or winning the game in the bottom of the ninth in Wednesday's Game 4:

Needless to say, the Red Sox are a team of stars. On the offensive side, the trio of J.D. Martinez, Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. have come out swinging, literally. Benintendi leads the team in runs in the postseason, Martinez has eight RBI and a home run, and Bradley has nine RBI and two home runs.

Pitchers Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes have played seven and six games, respectively, and neither has allowed an earned run in the postseason. Both pitchers have averaged more than seven strikeouts per nine innings, and have only walked four batters each. Chris Sale, while boasting an ERA of 3.48, leads the Boston bullpen in strikeouts in the postseason with 14.

In the National League, you have a Los Angeles Dodgers team that boasts 10 home runs in the postseason, but only 36 runs and 35 RBI, compared to Boston's 52 and 49, respectively. The Dodgers' Manny Machado has proved to be a beast in the playoffs, with nine RBI and three homeruns in the nine games he has played. Max Muncy joins him with two homers and six runs.

L.A. has relied heavily on its pitchers in the postseason. The bullpen held the Braves to two scoreless games in the Division Series and has only allowed the Brewers more than four runs in one game, the opener that L.A. lost, 6-5. In the last two games against the Brewers, the Dodgers have held Milwaukee to one and two runs. In Game 3, Clayton Kershaw pitched through seven innings and gave up one earned run. In the three games in which Kershaw has started, his record is 2-1 and he has 14 strikeouts.

Pitchers Pedro Baez, Kenley Jansen, and Dylan Floro have all played at least five games and have yet to allow a run in the postseason. Baez has averaged 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings in the postseason, while Jansen has averaged 11.8 and Floro 9.0.

While the Red Sox have offensive power, the L.A. bullpen has been on a hot streak and boasts impressive stats in the postseason. The two teams will make a great matchup and provide for a World Series that is both fun to watch and competitive, as their games will feature some of the best pitching, fielding, and hitting in the game.