2018 World Series Odds: Red Sox Favored over Dodgers in Latest Game 1 Lines

Clayton Kershaw may be the best pitcher of his generation, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are underdogs for Tuesday's Game 1 of the World Series even though the three-time Cy Young winner will be on the mound.

Per OddsShark, Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox are listed as -150 favorites (bet $150 to win $100) for Tuesday's game at Fenway Park, while the Dodgers are +135 (bet $100 to win $135). 

The starting pitchers will be under the spotlight in Game 1 considering Kershaw is still trying to shake the narrative he struggles in the postseason and Sale dealt with health concerns during the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros.

Kershaw is a seven-time All-Star and five-time ERA title winner who 2014 National League MVP as a starting pitcher, but his career postseason ERA is a pedestrian 4.09 compared to his sparkling 2.39 mark in the regular season.

The southpaw has done what he can to shed the playoff concerns with a 2.37 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in four appearances in this year's playoffs, but his resume is still missing a World Series title. He can set the tone for the Dodgers right out of the gate with an impressive performance and help them negate the Red Sox's home field advantage.

Boston will counter with Sale, who was hospitalized during the ALCS and couldn't start Game 5. He told Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald it was a belly button pierceing that caused him problems, saying "I had irritation from a belly button ring. Constantly taking it in and out caused irritation. Doctors and nurses at MGH were awesome. Things happen. You handle them. And keep moving forward."

Despite the setback, Bovada (h/t OddsShark) listed Sale as the favorite to win the MVP after finishing the regular season with a 2.11 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. He narrowly edged teammates Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, as well as Kershaw:

Las Vegas believes the combination of Sale, home-field advantage, and an offense that led all of baseball in runs (876), hits (1,509), doubles (355), batting average (.268), on-base percentage (.339) and slugging percentage (.453) will be enough to top Kershaw and the Dodgers in Game 1.