Dodgers vs. Astros: Which Starting Rotation has the Edge?

The wait is almost over for the Dodgers, as the first pitch of the World Series is less than 10 hours away.  Both teams feature very good starting rotations, but which one has the edge?

The Dodgers are known for the luxury of having too many starting pitchers. While their quantity is very good, they also have quality depth. After all, Kenta Maeda is now a late inning reliever for the Dodgers, and Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu did not even crack the playoff roster in any series.  The Dodgers starting rotation has been in place for most of the season, the one big move they made was acquiring Yu Darvish in a buzzer beater type deadline deal.

The Astros have a very similar blue print as the Dodgers in regards to their starting rotation. The Astros have a good amount of depth, and like the Dodgers, they made a big waiver deadline deal to acquire the longtime Tiger’s ace.  Like Darvish, Justin Verlander has been very good for the Astros this post-season and I think it’s safe to say they would not be in the World Series if they did not bring Verlander over to Houston.

While both starting rotations for the World Series are very good, which one has the edge?  The Dodgers can trot out four very good starters while the Astros have a solid four also, but they are very top heavy.  After Keuchel and Verlander there is a big drop down to Lance McCullers and Charlie Morton.  For the Dodgers, their fourth starter Alex Wood won 16 games while missing time throughout the season.  That speaks volumes about the quality of their rotation depth.  So the big question is which rotation has the edge in each matchup?