Dodgers vs. Astros World Series Game 1: Preview, Prediction, Probable Lineups, Rosters

GettyImages-865587754 — The Houston Astros warm up at Dodgers Stadium ahead of Game 1. Getty

Two star southpaws take the mound in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night, with Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 2.31 ERA) starting for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dallas Keuchel (14-5, 2.90 ERA) getting the nod for the Houston Astros.

Kershaw has once again been distinctly stronger in the regular season than the postseason. He owns a 3.63 ERA in three starts this year and has a career postseason ERA of 3.81 over 106 and one-third innings.

At Dodger Stadium, Kershaw actually has a worse ERA at home (2.58) than on the road (2.03). In his lone road postseason start, Kershaw looked sharp, allowing just one earned-run and three hits over six innings in Game 5 against the Chicago Cubs.

The Dodgers welcome back shortstop Corey Seager, who missed the National League Championship Series while battling back issues and after suffering elbow problems since August. The Dodger bats performed well in Seager's absence, posting an average of 5.6 runs in the five-game series against the Cubs.

Dave Roberts may shuffle his order with Seager back in the lineup and facing a left-hander. The Dodgers have a very good .789 OPS against lefties in the regular season and a .908 OPS in the postseason against lefties. While some of the Dodgers' top hitters bat from the left side, they have performed well against left-handed pitching. Seager had a .916 OPS against lefties in the regular season, while Cody Bellinger had a .903 OPS. Yasiel Puig, who bats right, has just a .592 OPS against lefties.

In his last start, Keuchel allowed four earned runs and seven hits at Yankee Stadium. Of the seven hits, only two were by left-handed bats — sharply hit singles by Greg Bird and Didi Gregorius. On Tuesday night, he will be pitching on the road (3.53 ERA) but won't face a designated hitter.

The Astros' bats were even better against lefties than the Dodgers, with an .814 OPS in the regular season and an .843 OPS in the postseason. But against the Yankees' C.C. Sabathia, Houston managed just one run over a total of nine and one-third innings.

A.J. Hinch's top bats could figure prominently in Game 1. Jose Altuve, a top candidate for the American League MVP, owns a .977 OPS against lefties and Carlos Correa hit five home runs in 92 at-bats against lefties. Altuve is also stronger on the road (1.08 OPS) than he is at home (.834 OPS).

A player of note for the Astros is George Springer, who has just two RBI in the postseason. The 28-year-old posted strong numbers against lefties, with a .972 OPS.

Houston Astros Roster:

Pitchers (12): Chris Devenski, Ken Giles, Luke Gregerson, Will Harris, Dallas Keuchel, Francisco Liriano, Lance McCullers Jr., Collin McHugh, Charlie Morton, Joe Musgrove, Brad Peacock, Justin Verlander

Position Players (13): Jose Altuve, Carlos Beltran, Alex Bregman, Juan Centeno, Carlos Correa, Derek Fisher, Evan Gattis, Marwin Gonzalez, Yuli Gurriel, Cameron Maybin, Brian McCann, Josh Reddick, George Springer

Los Angeles Dodgers Roster:

Pitchers (12): Tony Cingrani, Yu Darvish, Josh Fields, Rich Hill, Kenley Jansen, Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Brandon McCarthy, Brandon Morrow, Ross Stripling, Tony Watson, Alex Wood

Position players (13): Austin Barnes, Cody Bellinger, Charlie Culberson, Andre Ethier, Logan Forsythe, Yasmani Grandal, Kike Hernandez, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Seager, Chris Taylor, Justin Turner, Chase Utley

Astros Game 1 Probable Lineup

1. George Springer, CF

2. Alex Bregman, 3B

3. Jose Altuve, 2B

4. Carlos Correa, SS

5. Yuli Gurriel, 1B

6. Brian McCann, C

7. Marwin Gonzalez, LF

8. Josh Reddick, RF

9. Dallas Keuchel, P

Dodgers Game 1 Probable Lineup

1. Chris Taylor, CF