The New York Yankees and Houston Astros will face off in game two of the American League Championship Series on Thursday night in Houston. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Yankees-Astros prediction and pick, laid out below.

New York needed five games to surpass the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS, and because of the rain, had no off day before traveling to Houston. Jameson Taillon was solid in 4.1 innings in game one of this series, but the bullpen fell apart in a 4-2 loss.

Houston cruised through the ALDS, sweeping Seattle in three games. After an 18-inning marathon on Saturday afternoon, Houston was afforded extra rest until Wednesday, lining up ace Justin Verlander for the start of the ALCS. Houston's pitching overpowered New York in their 4-2 victory.

Here are the Yankees-Astros MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

ALCS Odds: Yankees-Astros Odds

New York Yankees: +1.5 (-182)

Houston Astros: -1.5 (+150)

Over: 7 (-110)

Under: 7 (-110)

Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread

Luis Severino will take the ball in game two of this series, facing a one-game deficit. Severino allowed three runs in 5.2 innings against Cleveland in game three, striking out six without walking a batter. Severino's line would have looked slightly better had Lou Trivino had not allowed an inherited runner to score. Severino's overpowering fastball held hitters to a .186 batting average in the regular season, while batters struggled to a .169 batting average against his slider.

New York's bullpen struggled last night, with Clarke Schmidt and Frankie Montas allowing three solo home runs to distance the Astros. Still, Lou Trivino and Miguel Castro combined for 1.2 shutout innings. New York rested their main relievers, namely Wandy Peralta, who has pitched in five of the six playoff games so far. Clay Holmes has been solid in his four relief appearances, firing 3.1 shutout innings with five strikeouts. Jonathan Loaisiga endured an up-and-down season, but has dominated in his brief postseason work, firing five shutout innings across four appearances.

New York's offense has struggled, hitting .176 in their eleven games. Still, New York has hit eleven home runs, with most of their runs coming via the long ball. New York has struck out 70 times in the postseason, highlighted by twelve from Aaron Judge in his 24 at-bats. Anthony Rizzo has been great in the postseason, hitting .316 with two home runs and four walks. Harrison Bader has emerged as a true power threat, hitting four home runs in his six games, striking out just four times. Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge have each belted two home runs, but have combined to hit just .182 in the postseason. New York has stolen five bases this postseason, which leads all of the playoff teams.

Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread

Framber Valdez will start this one, looking to build off the success of Verlander in game one. In the division series, Valdez allowed two earned runs in 5.2 innings, striking out six batters. The curveball is the story for Valdez, holding batters to a .145 batting average, with 124 strikeouts in 220 at-bats. Opponents managed just seven extra-base hits against Valdez's curveball. New York struggled mightily against Verlander's breaking balls, and that could spell more issues with Valdez.

Houston's bullpen has dominated in the postseason, leading all the teams with a 0.77 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 23.1 innings. Bryan Abreu has struck out six in 3.1 shutout innings, allowing just two baserunners. Luis Garcia dominated in a five-inning relief appearance, allowing just two hits while striking out six batters. Ryan Pressley has saved two games, striking out five across 3.1 innings. Rookie Hunter Brown has not allowed a run in three innings this postseason.

Yordan Alvarez dominated in the regular season and carried that success over to the postseason. Alvarez has hit two go-ahead home runs in the postseason, with a .381 on-base percentage to boot. Yuli Gurriel leads the team with a .368 batting average, adding two home runs, including a home run last night. Rookie Jeremy Pena has hit .350 with two home runs, including one last night off Frankie Montas. Houston has belted nine home runs in the postseason, with three coming last night. Of the four teams remaining, Houston has struck out the least, just 38 times, 42 less than the next-lowest total. All this postseason success has come without Altuve recording a hit, going hitless in nineteen at-bats. Altuve has walked twice and scored a run. When he breaks out, because he will, look out.

Final Yankees-Astros Prediction & Pick

As a Yankees fan, I feel obligated to back New York in this one.

Final Yankees-Astros Prediction & Pick: New York +1.5 (-182), over 7 (-110)