Yankees vs. Astros Game 2 Odds
| Yankees Odds | +130 |
| Astros Odds | -150 |
| Over/Under | 7 (-110 / -110) |
| Time | 7:37 p.m. ET |
| TV | TBS |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here. | |
The Yankees' hangover from a thrilling ALDS Game 5 victory on Tuesday evening appeared to be very real on Wednesday. New York flew to Houston overnight and came out flat, losing 4-2 to the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS.
What should we expect in Game 2 on Thursday? I've got a good idea of three things we can put our money on.
The Parlay (+525):
- Luis Severino 5+ Strikeouts
- Giancarlo Stanton 2+ Total Bases
- Each Team over 1.5 Total Runs
Same-Game Parlay – Yankees vs. Astros Game 2
Luis Severino 5+ Strikeouts
Severino is a horse. He's a player with a career strikeout rate over 27% and someone who has consistently been looked to in recent months to give the Yankees length.
For stretches this season, he's looked like the best pitcher on this staff. I feel the need to remind folks of this considering he's dealt with injuries over the past three seasons and has hardly been heard from. All he's done is post a 3.18 ERA and 2.94 xERA this season and allow just two earned runs in 12 innings in two injury-shortened years prior to this one.
Severino is still very much a good pitcher, and he was reliable this season against the Astros with 11 strikeouts over 12 innings of five-run ball in two starts. He's a high-strikeout arm and one which has done the job quite easily against Houston this season. He struck out six over 5 2/3 against the Guardians in the ALDS, a team which hardly swings and misses.
So, I think there's plenty working in Severino's favor here. He should be looked to for as much length as possible given the state of the Yankees' bullpen, and if he pitches into the sixth he should hit five punchouts rather easily.
Giancarlo Stanton 2+ Total Bases
Have you heard the chatter that Stanton needs to play the field in order to maximize his offensive output? Well, that's a very real sentiment. The slugger hit just .189 this season in 249 at-bats as the designated hitter, turning around and hitting .259 in 143 at-bats as a fielder.
Stanton's simply a different player when he wears a glove every inning, and it's no coincidence he put together some competitive at-bats on Wednesday and registered a double in the process.
Stanton is 4-for-8 against Framber Valdez in his career with a double and a homer, and rather than throw a juiced 1+ total base leg in here, I'll take the plus money on Stanton to record multiple. It's more likely he goes for extra bases with his lone hit.
Each Team over 1.5 Total Runs
This doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me. Both teams have done well to average around four runs per game in the playoffs and I think there's plenty that can go wrong for both starters.
Valdez allowed three runs over six innings in his only start against the Yankees this season, and while Severino was effective against Houston he still did cough up a couple of runs and allowed three in Game 3 against the Guardians.
When you factor in the Yankee's bullpen is hurting and that their offense should undergo some necessary changes in Game 2 such as the removal of Matt Carpenter, I think this should be very attainable.
