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The World Series continues as the Philadelphia Phillies will face the Houston Astros for Game 2 on Saturday night as Minute Maid Mark. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Phillies-Astros Game 2 prediction and pick for the fall classic.
The Phillies rallied from a 5-0 deficit to take down the Astros 6-5 in Game 1 of the World Series. Now, they hope to take a commanding 2-0 series back to Philadelphia.
It was a scoreless game in the second inning when Kyle Tucker approached the plate. Then, Tucker blasted a moonshot to right field, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Martin Maldonado added an RBI single to make it 2-0 Astros. Later, Tucker marooned another one, this time deep to right field for a three-run bomb. His second home run gave the Astros a 5-0 lead. However, the Phillies had some fight left in them. Nick Castellanos delivered an RBI single to left-center field to slice the deficit to 5-1. Then, Alec Bohm doubled to left to make it 5-3. The Phillies entered the fifth inning trailing 5-3 when J.T. Realmuto approached the plate. Next, Realmuto clipped a two-run doubler to left-center field to tie the game.
Neither team scored through the final four innings, sending Game 1 of the World Series into extra innings. Hence, it was time to see what the Phillies could do, and Realmuto led off the inning. He blasted a 3-2 pitch the opposite way for a solo shot to right field, giving the Phillies a 6-5 advantage. Then, it was Houston's chance to tie against closer David Robertson.
Alex Bregman doubled to left field with one out. Then, Tucker struck out. Robertson walked Yuli Guriel, putting runners on first and second. A wild pitch by Robertson put the winning run in scoring position. Ultimately, Robertson forced Aledmys Diaz to ground out to end the game.
Zack Wheeler will take the mound for the Phillies tonight. Wheeler is 1-1 with a 1.78 ERA during the playoffs. Recently, he tossed six innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits while striking out eight in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. Wheeler went 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA with 16 strikeouts during two games in the NLCS.
Framber Valdez will go for the Astros. Valdez is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA through two starts in the playoffs. Recently, he went seven innings while allowing two earned runs (none earned) with four hits and nine strikeouts during Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. Valdez has one career start against the Phillies, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing two hits and striking out 10 earlier this month.
Here are the Phillies-Astros MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Phillies-Astros Game 2 Odds
Philadelphia Phillies: +1.5 (-172)
Houston Astros: -1.5 (+142)
Over: 7 (-110)
Under: 7 (-110)
Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
The Phillies are in a great position. Now, they must execute. The Phillies have several stars in their lineup that could drive a dagger into an opposing pitcher's game at any given moment.
Kyle Schwarber went 1 for 4 with a run last night. Additionally, Rhys Hoskins went 1 for 5 with a run. Bryce Harper went 2 for 4, while Castellanos went 1 for 5 with an RBI. Of course, Realmuto went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs.
The Philadelphia bullpen delivered an excellent performance last night, tossing 5 2/3 innings of shutout baseball after a bad start by Aaron Nola. They hope to continue the momentum today and take down a ferocious Houston lineup.
The Phillies will cover the spread if their lineup can maintain their consistency. Also, their bullpen must replicate the performance from last night.
Why The Astros Could Cover The Spread
The Astros are suddenly in a must-win position. Ultimately, they had lost a game in the playoffs until last night and must quickly overcome the shock and deliver a better performance.
The lineup had a decent performance but still left eight runners on base. Ultimately, they must put the pieces together. Jose Altuve went 1 for 5, while Yordan Alvarez went 0 for 4. Likewise, Bregman went 1 for 4 while Tucker went 2 for 5 with four RBIs. Guriel went 2 for 4 while the newest player Trey Mancini continued his struggles, going 0 for 4.
The bullpen pitched well enough. However, they allowed the go-ahead run in the 10th on a mistake pitch. The Astros will cover the spread if they can drive runners home. Additionally, their bullpen must execute against a formidable lineup.
Final Phillies-Astros Game 2 Prediction & Pick
The game will once again be close. However, it is difficult to bet against the Astros losing two in a row. It is also tough to bet against this Phillies team. The safest bet is to take the Phillies to cover, with the possibility of the Astros winning in their last at-bat.
Final Phillies-Astros Game 2 Prediction & Pick: Philadelphia Phillies: +1.5 (-172)
