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The New York Yankees and Houston Astros will run it back on Thursday (October 20) night for Game 2 of the MLB ALCS playoffs. The Astros hit three solo shots to take Game 1 4-2.
Houston SP Justin Verlander twirled six innings of one-run ball. He struck out 11, including four in the last six. The former MVP was nearly perfect, with his only blemish coming in the top of the second when Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader turned on a 2-2 breaking ball and deposited it into the Crawford boxes.
However, the Astros responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning, as C Martin Maldonado stung an RBI double off the right field wall. Houston seperated in the sixth, courtesy of solo home runs from 1B Yuli Gurriel and CF Chas McCormick. The Yankees made some noise late, but closer Ryan Pressley retired the final four batters, leaving two inherited runners on base in the eighth.
New York will send SP Luis Severino to the mound on Thursday in hopes of squaring the series at one apiece. Severino, who spent a chunk of the 2022 season on the IL, will make his second playoff appearance of the year. The 28-year-old started Game 3 of the ALDS against the Cleveland Guardians, tossing 5.2 innings while surrendering three runs on eight hits. He struck out six.
Severino has had little success in the postseason, posting a 5.17 career playoff ERA in 38.1 innings. He has faced Houston three previous times in the postseason, all in the ALCS, going 0-2 with a measly 4.15 ERA. However, he performs better against Houston in the regular season. The right-hander owns a 3.82 earned run average against the Astros, including a commendable 3.22 ERA at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
The Astros, meanwhile, will look to SP Framber Valdez to give Houston a commanding 2-0 series lead. Valdez, like Severino, will be making his second start of this year's postseason.
The 5'11 Dominican-born left-hander tossed 5.2 innings against the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS. He allowed two runs on four hits while striking out six. Valdez has primarily struggled in the playoffs, owning a 4.38 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.
Those stats are a far cry from his career 3.38 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in the regular season. The first-time All-Star will look to get on track against the Yankees, a team that has shelled him previously. In three starts, he has gone 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and an alarming 1.800 WHIP. The saving grace for the Astros is that the game is in Houston, where Valdez is 20-9 with a 3.49 ERA.
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New York Yankees vs Houston Astros Betting Odds
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New York Yankees vs Houston Astros Betting Prediction
There should be ample run-scoring opportunities in a game with two good but not great pitchers.
The Yankees are in their third straight playoff game, and the bullpen has tossed 7.2 innings in the previous two games. So this is as good a time as any to suggest that two teams ranked in the top ten in run production should be able to rip off seven or more runs.
Prediction: Over 7 (-105 at SuperBook)
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