On Thursday night in Houston, game two of the American League Championship Series will feature the New York Yankees and Houston Astros. With that considered, it is a good time to look at our MLB oddsseries, which is presented below and includes a prediction and choice for the Yankees vs. Astros game.
Because of the rain, New York did not have a day off before heading to Houston, but instead needed to win five games to defeat the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS. In the opening game of this series, Jameson Taillon pitched well over 4.1 innings, but the bullpen failed miserably in a 4-2 defeat.
Houston easily defeated Seattle in three games to win the ALDS. After a long 18-inning game on Saturday, Houston was given extra time off until Wednesday, setting up ace Justin Verlander for the ALCS opener. Houston defeated New York 4-2 thanks to strong pitching.
The MLB odds between the Yankees and Astros are provided by FanDuel.
ALCS Odds: Yankees-Astros Odds
Yankees of New York: +1.5 (-182)
Astros of Houston: -1.5 (+150)
Over: 7 (-110) (-110)
Under: 7 (-110)
Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
With this series down one game, Luis Severino will get the ball in game two. In game three versus Cleveland, Severino pitched 5.2 innings and gave up three runs while striking out six batters and walking none. Had Lou Trivino prevented an inherited runner from scoring, Severino’s line could have appeared a little bit better. Batters battled to a.169 batting average against Severino’s slider, while his powerful fastball restricted hitters to a.186 batting average in the regular season.
Last night, New York’s bullpen struggled, with Clarke Schmidt and Frankie Montas allowing the Astros to score three solo home runs. Nevertheless, Lou Trivino and Miguel Castro pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. Wandy Peralta, who has started five of the team’s six playoff games so far, was one of the major relievers that New York rested. In his four bullpen appearances, Clay Holmes has pitched 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out five. Despite having a hit-and-miss season, Jonathan Loaisiga has excelled in his limited postseason action, pitching five scoreless innings in four appearances.
In their eleven games, New York’s offence has struggled, hitting just.176. Even so, New York has hit eleven home runs, with the long ball accounting for the majority of their runs. In the postseason, New York has struck out 70 times, with Aaron Judge leading the way with 12 in 24 at-bats. In the postseason, Anthony Rizzo has excelled, batting.316 with two home runs and four walks. With four home runs in six games and only four strikeouts, Harrison Bader has established himself as a legitimate power threat. Despite each hitting two home runs, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge have only managed to hit.182 in the postseason. This playoffs, New York has stolen five bases, more than any other playoff club.
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
In an effort to build on Verlander’s performance in game one, Framber Valdez will take the mound in this one. Valdez pitched 5.2 innings in the division series, giving up two earned runs while striking out six batters. With 124 strikeouts in 220 at-bats and a batting average keeping batters to.145, Valdez’s curveball is the star of the show. In response to Valdez’s curveball, opponents only managed seven extra-base hits. Verlander’s breaking balls presented a formidable challenge for New York, and this could indicate further problems for Valdez.
With the lowest ERA of any club in the postseason (0.77), and 29 strikeouts in 23.1 innings, Houston’s bullpen has been dominant. In 3.1 scoreless innings, Bryan Abreu has six strikeouts while giving up just two baserunners. In a five-inning stint as a reliever, Luis Garcia dominated, giving up just two hits and fanning six opponents. In 3.1 innings, Ryan Pressley has struck out five batters and saved two games. Hunter Brown, a postseason rookie, has three innings without giving up a run.
In the regular season, Yordan Alvarez dominated, and he continued to succeed in the postseason. Alvarez has two game-winning home runs and a.381 on-base percentage in the postseason. Yuli Gurriel is the team’s bat with a.368 average and two home runs, one of which was yesterday night. Jeremy Pena, a rookie, has hit.350 and has hit two home runs, one of which came last night off Frankie Montas. Three of Houston’s nine postseason home runs came yesterday night, giving them a total of nine. Houston has struck out the fewest times of the last four teams, with just 38, 42 fewer than the next-lowest number. Altuve has been successful in the postseason without ever getting a hit, going hitless in 19 at-bats. Altuve has drawn two walks and driven in a run. Look out for when he emerges because he will.
Final Yankees-Astros Prediction & Pick
I feel bound to support New York in this game as a Yankees supporter.
Final prediction and bet for the Yankees-Astros game: New York +1.5 (-182), over 7. (-110)
ALCS Odds: Yankees at Astros Game 2 Prediction, Odds and Pick – 10/20/2022 was originally published on ClutchPoints.
