Bettors Back Misiorowski Strikeouts and Chourio Hits as Brewers Try to Close Out Rays in Game 5

The Milwaukee Brewers will try again to win their first championship on Wednesday night, visiting the Tampa Bay Rays for Game 5 of the World Series. First pitch is set for the usual 8 p.m. ET on FOX. It is the last scheduled home game for the Rays, with a possible off day Thursday before the series would return to Milwaukee if needed.

The night may also be the final baseball for a long stretch. Owners are expected to lock out the players on Dec. 1, which could leave the sport dark until 2027.

Game 5 was far from guaranteed. The Brewers led 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 12th inning of Game 4, and the champagne was reportedly already in the visiting clubhouse. Tampa Bay rallied for a 4-3 victory, becoming only the second team after the 1910 Cubs to win a World Series game on a walk-off while facing a sweep.

That result extended the streak of World Series without a sweep to 14, the longest run in MLB history. It is also only the fifth Fall Classic to reach at least five games after one team opened a 3-0 lead. No team has yet trailed 3-0 and forced a Game 6. In these playoffs, clubs that score first are 26-13, and those that hit more home runs than their opponent are 22-5.

DraftKings data shows the five most-wagered player props for the game. The first is Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski to record five or more strikeouts, at -273. Milwaukee leaned heavily on its bullpen Tuesday and could use a long start, but Misiorowski has not pitched beyond 5.1 innings since Sept. 8. Over that stretch he has struck out at least five batters in four of six starts, though not in Game 1 against the Rays. A patient Tampa Bay lineup struck out just three times in five innings that night. The SportsLine Projection Model has him at 5.8 innings and 7.5 strikeouts.

Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio to collect at least one hit is next, at -295. Chourio is the -110 favorite for World Series MVP at DraftKings, and the numbers back it up. He is batting .500 (10-for-20) with two doubles, two RBI, four runs scored and three stolen bases. His 10 hits through four games tie the World Series record set by Babe Ruth in 1928, and he has had at least two hits in every game.

Two Rays hitters also drew heavy action on hit props. Yandy Diaz, at -265, owns the shortest MVP odds on his team at +4000. He struggled in the first two games but has improved since the series moved to Tropicana Field, though he is still hitting .176 (3-for-17) with a double and an RBI. In his regular-season career, he is 1-for-5 against Misiorowski, with a home run. Chandler Simpson, at -190, is hitting .375 (6-for-16) with a double, two RBI, two runs and two steals, and he delivered a key single in the 12th-inning rally. The writer noted surprise that bettors favored his hit total over a stolen base prop priced near +350.

The fifth prop goes the other way: Rays shortstop Taylor Walls to finish under 0.5 hits, at -132. Walls is known more for his glove than his bat and is 0-for-9 in the series with six strikeouts. He is also 0-for-2 against Misiorowski in his regular-season career. If Tampa Bay needs offense while trailing, he could be pulled for a pinch-hitter, which may help explain the interest.