Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros World Series Game 2 Betting Preview
After stealing home field advantage back in Game 1, the Atlanta Braves (1-0) will look to make it two in a row as they take on the Houston Astros (0-1) in Game 2 of the World Series Wednesday night. The Astros will host this one at Minute Maid Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 8:09 pm ET.
The Braves’ offense was fueled in the first game by home runs from Jorge Soler and Adam Duvall. Charlie Morton went 2.1 innings and allowed no runs, but he also suffered a fractured fibula on a comebacker and is out for the rest of the season.
In the loss, Framber Valdez struggled as he gave up five runs on eight hits in just two innings of work. The Astros offense was only able to muster two runs on eight hits. Most notably, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Carlos Correa went a combined 0 for 12.
The Astros are the slight favorite playing at home Wednesday. They are -118 to win while the Braves’ moneyline sits at +100. The runline features Atlanta +1.5 (-188), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.
Pitching Matchup
The Braves will send lefty Max Fried to the mound for Game 2. In three games this postseason, Fried is 1-1 with a 3.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and has 17 strikeouts in 16.2 innings.
During the regular season, Fried went 14-7 with a 3.04 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.
The Astros will counter with righty Jose Urquidy. This will only be Urquidy’s second start of the postseason after giving up six runs (five earned) on five hits in 1.2 innings pitched in the ALCS against the Red Sox.
Urquidy went 8-3 with a 3.62 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and had 90 strikeouts in 107 innings pitched during the regular season.
By The Numbers
This season, the Astros have had the best offense in baseball. They rank atop the list in terms of scoring, averaging 5.41 runs per game. The Braves rank eighth, averaging 4.85 runs.
In terms of defense, the Braves hold the edge. They rank fifth in scoring defense allowing opponents an average of 4.03 runs per game. The Astros rank eighth allowing 4.09 runs.
Braves Looking To Take 2-0 Lead Back To Atlanta
By taking Game 1 of the World Series in Houston, the Braves have already recaptured home-field advantage. As great as one win is, Atlanta would love nothing more than to come back home with a 2-0 series lead. On Wednesday, they will look to accomplish that feat.
Leading the way on offense for the Braves this postseason has been outfielder Eddie Rosario. He is hitting .465/.511/.767 with three home runs, 11 runs batted in, and seven runs scored.
He isn’t the only Braves’ hitter that is hot, though. Freddie Freeman (.297 avg., 3 HR, 7 RBI), Joc Pederson (.273 avg., 3 HR, 9 RBI), Adam Duvall (2 HR, 6 RBI), and Austin Riley (2 HR, 6 RBI) have all performed well for the Braves.
Astros Need Better Outing From Urquidy
It has been quite a rollercoaster ride for the Astros’ starting rotation to this point. They have either been really strong or really poor, with little in between. Unfortunately for Astros’ fans, on Tuesday, Valdez had a really rough outing.
Trying to split the first two games in Houston, the Astros will look to Jose Urquidy for a strong start. He really struggled in his one and only start of the postseason, but his regular-season stats indicate that he is capable of putting together a solid outing if he can stay in the zone.
Offensively, the Astros really need Jose Altuve to figure it out. This postseason, he has hit a couple of big home runs, but he is still hitting just .178/.296/.422 over 45 at-bats.
One player who has been hot this postseason is Yordan Alvarez. With a one-for-three night in Game 1, he is now hitting .432/.532/.811 with two home runs and nine runs batted in.
Taking Atlanta And The Runs
Frankly, this comes down to the starting pitching. While the Astros have the capability of putting runs up in bunches regardless of who is on the mound, it is clear that the Braves hold the upper hand in Game 2 from a pitching perspective.
Even if Atlanta ultimately ends up losing, expect this one to be close throughout. For that reason, taking Atlanta and the +1.5 runs (-188) is the smart play.
