Baseball Phillies vs. Astros World Series Game 2 Betting: Will Valdez help Houston even the series?

[James]

After rallying from a 5-0 deficit–against Justin Verlander, no less–to take Game 1 of the World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies are now favored to win their first championship since 2008.
Tonight, we’ll get to see how the Houston Astros respond to their first loss in this year’s MLB playoffs, with Framber Valdez taking the hill for Houston opposite Zack Wheeler for the visitors.
With Kyle Tucker homering in consecutive innings to give the Astros a 5-0 lead after three innings, it looked like Houston would stroll to its eighth straight win of the postseason.
But the Phillies rallied to tie the game with three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth, and the game went to extras thanks to a game-saving catch by Nick Castellanos in the bottom of the ninth.
And thanks to J.T. Realmuto’s solo homer to lead off the top of the 10th, the Phillies are now three wins away from a title in their first playoff appearance since 2011.

But the Astros aren’t here by accident, and you have to figure that they will come out with a vengeance tonight in an attempt to send the series back to Philadelphia all tied up.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Houston Astros Matchup Information and Betting Odds – 2022 World Series Game 2​

Matchup Information​

• Matchup: Philadelphia Phillies (1-0) vs. Houston Astros (0-1)
• Venue & Location: Minute Maid Park (Houston, Texas)
• Date: Saturday, October 29, 2022
• Game Time: 8:03 p.m. Eastern Time (7:03 p.m. local time)
• How to Watch Phillies vs. Astros Game 2: FOX

Phillies vs. Astros Pitching Matchup​

• Philadelphia: RHP Zack Wheeler (Postseason: 4 starts, 1-1, 1.78 ERA – 26 starts, 12-7, 2.82 ERA in the regular season)
• Houston: LHP Framber Valdez (Postseason: 2 starts, 1-0, 1.42 ERA – 31 starts, 17-6, 2.82 ERA in the regular season)

Phillies vs. Astros Odds​

Game odds are via FanDuel as of Saturday, October 29 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

Moneyline​

• Philadelphia Phillies +120
• Houston Astros -142

Over/Under​

• Over 7 (-110)
• Under 7 (-110)

Run Line​

• Philadelphia Phillies +1.5 (-182)
• Houston Astros -1.5 (+150)

Notable Trend Favors Phils Following Game 1 Win, But…​

If you were backing the Phillies to win the World Series, the comeback win in Game 1 should have you feeling pretty good about your bet right now.

They were underdogs for the opener and for the series entering last night, but at FanDuel, they are now -130 to take the title, with the Astros now sitting at +110.

Winning Game 1 has been a good omen for most teams in recent history. Over the last 12 editions of the Fall Classic, the Game 1 winner has gone on to win the series.

That said, history isn’t overly kind to the Phillies in this regard.

In their eight World Series appearances, the Phillies have won Game 1 six times (1915, 1980, 1983, 2008, 2009, and 2022). How many times have they gone on to win the title? Twice, in 1980 and 2008.

So, if you have backed the Astros, there’s no reason to despair just yet.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Houston Astros Prediction and Best Bets​

Phillies vs. Astros Prediction: Astros to win

Phillies vs. Astros Best Bets: Astros ML (Best Value: -142 at FanDuel) & Astros -1.5 (Best Value: +158 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Three of Wheeler’s four starts thus far in this year’s playoffs came on the road. And in those three starts (19.1 innings pitched), he allowed runs in only one inning, a three-run sixth inning in NLDS Game 2 against the Atlanta Braves.

So, the Astros will certainly have their hands full tonight. But while they haven’t been in this position in the playoffs until now, Houston was excellent in this spot in the regular season, posting a 39-17 record (.696) in games following a loss.

Also, the Astros have been outstanding at home all season, winning 60 of 85 games in the regular season and postseason combined.

As tough as the Phillies have been to beat in the playoffs, I’m absolutely not underestimating the possibility that they could leave Houston with a 2-0 lead. That would be very silly at this point, wouldn’t it?

After all, they are much better at the plate against LHP than RHP and in games started by LHP than RHP. So, if they were able to tag Verlander for five runs, they will feel confident about being able to do some damage against Valdez.

But I love the value with the Astros to even up the series tonight, and that is the play that I’m backing and recommending here, with an additional sprinkle on the RL. Of Houston’s 39 wins following a loss this season, 26 (66.7 percent) have come by 2+ runs.