The Washington Nationals have made the opening move in the 2019 World Series taking Game 1 in very dramatic fashion. The action continues tonight with Washington Nationals at Houston Astros Game 2. As mentioned, the Nationals come into the game with the lead but they did show some cracks against the Astros last night as their bullpen began to falter in the seventh inning after Max Scherzer had been taken off.
The Astros thought they had a trump card in Gerrit Cole but the young Juan Soto seems to be the star pitcher’s kryptonite. The Astros will be annoyed at letting the Nationals score five past them. But they were probably even more annoyed that they weren’t able to change the outcome of the game despite having loaded bases. Will the Nationals continue to stun audiences, or will the Astros pull one back in the biggest event in baseball?
Washington Nationals at Houston Astros Game 2 Predictions
Well, before we make any predictions, here are some key facts about the upcoming game we need to look at:
- The Nationals have named Stephen Strasburg as their starting pitcher for Game 2. Strasburg’s last game was against the Cardinals in Game 3 of the NLCS in which he managed seven scoreless innings and 12 strikeouts. He enters the game with an 18-6 regular season record and an ERA of 3.32. Throughout the postseason, he has posted a 3-0 record and a 1.64 ERA.
- The Astros are set to start Justin Verlander who had an amazing regular season this year but has struggled in postseason. His last start was Game 5 of the ALCS, which the Astros lost to the Yankees, where he gave up four runs in seven innings. In terms of stats, his regular season record sits at 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA. However, his postseason record is at 1-2 with a 3.70 ERA.
- The Nationals showed that they do have a weakness in their bullpen. In Game 1, the Astros nearly took the lead with Tanner Rainey on the mound. It was not after Rainey was replaced by Daniel Hudson that the team seemed to regain control of the game.
- Nationals’ Juan Soto was a star performer in Game 1, going three for four and scoring one home run and three RBIs. The Nationals will be looking to Soto to keep up the big performances throughout the series.
With all that said and done, here are our recommendations for the Washington Nationals at Houston Astros Game 2:
- Moneyline – we’re going with the Nationals. Verlander has been a bit to inconsistent for our liking and allowed the Yankees to get a big win the NLCS series. We also think that Strasburg has what it takes to lead the Nationals to a win.
Kim’s MLB Postseason Prediction Record so far: 5-3.
Washington Nationals at Houston Astros Game 2 Odds
Moneyline
| Teams | BetOnline | Sports Betting | MyBookie | Bovada | Intertops |
| Nationals | +166 | +166 | +155 | +157 | – |
| Astros | -176 | -176 | -185 | -182 | – |
Run Line
| Teams | BetOnline | Sports Betting | MyBookie | Bovada | Intertops |
| Nationals | -130 | -130 | -135 | -135 | – |
| Astros | +110 | +110 | +115 | +115 | – |
Get the Best Odds Here
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