By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL/Designated Writers

We are two games into the 2019 World Series and the Washington Nationals have a 2-0 lead over Houston. So what have we learned (or think we have learned):

** We think we know a good bet when we see it, but thankfully we don’t act on that because everyone knows that Las Vegas wasn’t built on the average schmuck being smarter than the linemakers. But dang, those almost 2-to-1 odds on the Nationals sure did look strange. With that pitching staff, it’s hard to believe that Vegas thought it would get money on both sides to make that bet work. Maybe they will, but for now, it sure does look like Vinny and Bruno missed that one. (By the way, the Nationals are now -260 to win the series.)

** The Astros have been sniffing themselves a little too much. Not saying that Houston is cocky — after all, the Astros did win the enchilada two years ago — but they did seem a wee bit full of themselves when the series opened. They have now been humbled; let’s see if it makes a difference. Maybe getting out of Houston and going on the road will help.

** Fox analyst John Smoltz isn’t good … he’s great. And even that probably doesn’t do him justice. Here’s what’s great about Smoltz — like a lot of analysts, he can tell you what’s about to happen and what certain players are thinking. But he doesn’t do it in a see-how-smart-I-am Tony Romo sort of way. He lets the action unfold and then he tells you about it. (Give Joe Buck credit for getting out of the way and letting Smoltz have at it.)

** This may be the World Series that makes these baseball stat hacks start realizing that those Excel spreadsheets are all well and good, but laying down a bunt, stealing a base and hitting the opposite way still have a place in baseball. Put the ball in play and let things happen. The Nationals scored six runs in a inning Wednesday night and half of those runs were knocked in on two singles that never got out of the infield.

** Even when there are two teams you don’t care about and the series is 2-0 in favor of the road team that’s headed back home, the World Series is still unpredictable. Don’t ever let anybody tell you they’ve got it figured out.

By TEDDY ALLEN/Designated Writers

Jose Carlos Altuve is 29, 5-6 on his tippy toes, the engine that makes the wheels on the Houston Astros’ bus go ’round, and a guy we find it impossible not to root for.

Several years ago when the Astros were horrible and building this team and the one that would win the World Series in 2017, I saw them play in Busch Stadium against the Cardinals on just a weekday, means-nothing afternoon. Altuve was at second base and the only true big leaguer on the roster, as far as I could tell. They were terribly, horribly bad.

A line drive was hit to second and it literally knocked Altuve down. He barely got his glove up in time to keep the ball from centering him in the chest. A bullet. The ball hit his glove, dropped to the ground, Altuve was knocked on his wallet, and he hopped up and threw out the hitter at first. Then looked at his fellow infielders and started smiling.

Saturday night he hit the walk-off homer in Game 6 of the ALCS. And he was smiling again, this hero from Maracay, Venezuela, a dude who gives hope to little guys who might want to pursue baseball. The demands of the game limit some of us, but size isn’t one of the things baseball’s difficulty puts limits on.

Besides Altuve, this Series offers up Gerrit Cole vs. Max Scherzer in tonight’s Game 1, Justin Verlander vs. Stephen Strasburg in Wednesday’s Game 2. Why yes sir, may I have another? We are looking for a lot of 2-1 or 3-2 scores. And how sweet that would be.

Happy October Baseball to you and yours.

-30-