The Los Angeles Dodgers players celebrate after Game 5 of baseball’s National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017, in Chicago. The Dodgers won 11-1 to win the series and advance to the World Series. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Before the postseason got under way this was my prediction of a Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Dodgers World Series. I gave the advantage to the Dodgers, for the main reason if it goes seven games, four will be at Dodger Stadium at Los Angeles, since the Dodgers have home field advantage, because of their record. But that is where my selection of the LA Dodgers ends. The Houston Astros when they acquired pitcher Justin Verlander totally changed their postseason formula to victory. After winning the MVP of the ALCS Justin Verlander is going Hollywood and he is the happiest guy in the world, with his fiance, actress Kate Upton just minutes away from Dodger Stadium.

Covering the American League, I have seen the Astros a lot this season, as in previous seasons. They have the team to win it all this time. Their only weakness, compared to the Dodgers it their bullpen. The Dodgers bullpen is tops, with a “sure thing”in closer Kenley Jansen, while I cannot not same the same about Astros Ken Giles. The Astros offense was tops in the American League, led by three consecutve times American League bating champion José Altuve, sensational shortstop (#1 draft pick) Carlos Correa they are as strong up the middle as anybody in the game.

The Astros have drafted very well in recent years and it is all coming together. Management in Houston deserves all the credit for this success, an organization that not long ago was a joke losing 100 or more games each season. They picked up veterans like catcher Brian McCann, and Josh Reddick and Carlos Beltrán(a future Hall of Famer)and one of the best clutch hitters ever in postseason. I was not surprised by the great defense exhibited during the ALCS of center-fielder George Springer, he is a great athlete,one of the best and also a very powerful lead-off hitter, 34 homeruns 85 RBI.

This year the Cuban-born “rookie”Yuliesky Gurriel gives them some great all-around play, a natural hitter, one of the best that has come from Cuba in recent years, who is quiet and does his job without much of a “show” like his compatriot Yasiel Puig with the Dodgers. Gurriel was one of the top players in Cuba, a much bigger star than Puig in the island, Although the talent of Puig is really impressive, these two Cuban-born players should have a ball in this Fall Classic. However, and although Yasiel Puig can be much more spectacular, Yuliesky (Yuli) Gurriel is much more steady and dependable on a day -to-day basis.

Last time the LA Dodgers were in a World Series was 1988, when they beat the Oakland Athletics(104-58)a superior team than the Dodgers

(91-70)but we all know what happened, I was there with the A’s, I saw guys that hit .230 during the regular season for the Dodgers hitting in game situations, Orel Hersheiser was their best pitcher that year with 23-8 2.26 and came up big as their MVP, on that game #5 at Oakland, and the Dodgers won against the odds in five games.

Remember reporters and writers talking about a sweep by the A’s. WQBA radio from Miami had Manolo Alvarez at Oakland and LA sending interviews and reports and I remember him asking me if I thought the Athletics were going to sweep. The difference between those two teams were striking, yet the Dodgers won. Such is the unpredictability of any World Series.

However this 2017 World Series doesn’t present the same disparity between teams. Coming into this World Series,the Astros of 2017 are not the Dodgers of 1988, and the Dodgers of 2017 are definitively not the Dodgers of 1988.

Today everybody is talking about players “at bats”and in today’s baseball nobody expects a starting pitcher to go more than five to six innings, so it is a totally different type of baseball.

I like the Dodgers to win in six. If the Astros win, it would be because their starters, Verlander, Keuchel, McCullers, Morton can go deep into a game, I just do not see the Astros bullpen as strong as the Dodgers. As far as offense. Both teams can score, have good speed and good power, and interestingly enough both, Dodgers and Astros have an abundance of very good young talent.

Should be fun.

FOX (CH 2 BAY AREA)WILL CARRY ALL GAMES. ALL 8PM EASTERN TIME/5PM WEST COAST.

Game #1: Oct 24: Houston @ Los Angeles Keuchel 14-5 vs. Kershaw 18-4

Game #2 Oct 25: Houston @ Los Angeles Verlander 15-8 vs TBD

Game #3 Oct 27: Los Angeles @ Houston TBD

Game# 4 Oct 28 Los Angeles @ Houston TBD

*Game#5 Oct 29 Los Angeles @ Houston TBD

*Game#6 Oct 31 Houston @ Los Angeles TBD

*Game#7 Nov 1 Houston @ Los Angeles TBD

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the TV Spanish talent for the Angels, the Spanish radio talent for the A’s and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com