The usual suspects are not present in this year's World Series; in fact, while the Cleveland Indians did get to the 1997 Classic, they lost to the Florida Marlins and have not been victorious since 1948. For the Chicago Cubs, it has obviously been a lot longer, as you would have to go back to 1945 to see an appearance for them in the Series and 1908 for the last world championship. But these teams have earned the right to be here, and they begin the proceedings on Tuesday night at 8:05 PM ET at that Progressive Field in Cleveland. BetAnySports customers can get reduced juice on this game before begins, and then, after the first pitch is thrown, they can stay involved with the action by making real-time wagers using the software available through Live Betting Ultra.

In the first game, the Cubs will go with left-hander Jon Lester, who had a 2.44 ERA during the regular season and has given up only two runs in three post-season starts this year. The Indians counter with 2014 Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber, who has shut teams down as well, with a 0.98 ERA since the playoffs began. Kluber had an 18-9 record in the regular season, while Lester was 19-5.

The Cubs have a powerful lineup, and, if they get lucky with Kyle Schwarber, it will be even more powerful. Schwarber, a post-season hero for them last year with five home runs, has been hurt ever since April 7, tearing both his ACL and his MCL, but he recently got some time in during the Arizona Fall League schedule, and the Cubs are going to take a chance with him as the designated hitter in the American League ballpark, as the rules allow. The negative effect of this might be that they have to shuffle some people in their lineup, leaving either Wilson Contreras, Jason Heyward or Ben Zobrist out.

In the World Series betting odds posted on this game by the people at BetAnySports, the Cubs are the favorites in the opening game:

Chicago Cubs (Lester - L) -112
Cleveland Indians (Kluber - R) +102

Under 6.5 Runs -120
Over 6.5 Runs +100

We should mention that the Cubs are even more of a favorite in the series, laying a price of -190, while Cleveland is at +165. And we should note as well that Cleveland is the team at the home field advantage, which came as a result of the American League winning the All-Star Game.

It is a general consensus that Chicago has the deeper lineup here, with a formidable leadoff hitter in Dexter Fowler (.333 in the NL CS) and Kris Bryant, the third baseman who might be voted the Most Valuable Player in the National League this season. Anthony Rizzo, the power- hitting first baseman, started out very slow in the playoffs, with only two base hits in his first 26 trips, but he has gone seven for his last 14 at the plate. The double-play combination of Addison Russell and Javier Baez was also heating up in the latter stages of the series against the Dodgers, in which the Cubs actually got shut out in the second and third games.

BetAnySports customers know that the Indians have a lot of strength at the top of their lineup, including two players with 34 homers apiece – Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli. Santana hit two home runs in the American League Championship Series against Toronto, and most of the time he is the leadoff hitter. He may relinquish that in this game, however, as Rajai Davis, who had 43 stolen bases this season, has shown the ability to shake up Lester in the past. There is a very important point to make here, which is that Cleveland is the most successful base-stealing team in the American League, with 134 stolen bases and an 81% success rate.

Can the Cubs slow that down in the opener, or the Series, for that matter? Well, people like Davis, Jose Ramirez, Jason Kipnis (nursing a sprained ankle) and Francisco Lindor have to get on base. The best defense for Lester would be to simply get them out, but if they get on, remember that he seems afraid to throw over to first base to keep anybody close. There is only so much catcher David Ross can do with "backpicks," and Ross has thrown out only 27% of base-stealers. With all of these Cubs starters, as well as closer Aroldis Chapman, that is going to be a problem. And Terry Francona, who has not lost a World Series game through two title runs with the Red Sox, is not afraid to exploit that.

You can have a great time in the World Series with BetAnySports, where you can get reduced juice, which tightens up the lines in your favor, as well as real-time wagering through Live Betting Ultra...........You can deposit in a number of ways, whether it is with a Visa card, person-to-person transfer or the virtual currency of Bitcoin!