Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros: Game 2 Odds, Picks and Preview - 10/27/2021

Game time: 8:09 p.m. ET

Venue: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX

Where to watch: FOX

DraftKings: Astros -125, Braves +105

BetMGM: Astros -115, Braves -105

Caesars: NL

WynnBet: Astros -114, Braves +106

Jack Banks cashed with the Braves in Game-1 and he's on 3-0 and 9-4 winning MLB playoff runs! The former offshore consultant is back on the bases in Wednesday's Game-2 with a 10* Bank Job release! He'll look to extend the winning MLB runs to 4-0 and 10-4! Catch Jack’s and other plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. 

If you need any further reasoning why the Atlanta Braves are a team of destiny, watch Charlie Morton be added to the injury list.

Now look at that list as a whole and ask yourself how is this even remotely possible?

Despite the Braves losing one of their top starters early in the game to what was deemed a broken fibula -- which, by the way he threw a PERFECT INNING ON A BROKEN LEG -- they got enough offense early to stun the Houston Astros 6-2 in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday for a 1-0 lead.

Game 2 is on Wednesday and if the Braves take this back to Atlanta with a 2-0 lead, there may be parties in the streets.

But as we talked about with Game 1, the last time the Astros were in the World Series, they lost all four home games to the Washington Nationals and lost in Game 7. So this technically isn’t out of the norm with the Astros getting blanked on home field to an NL East team.

Jorge Soler led off the game with a blast to left field to give Atlanta a 1-0 lead. Austin Riley followed that with an RBI double to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. The Astros had the bases loaded in the first with the hope of keeping things level, but couldn’t bring anyone else home.

The most unreal aspect of this whole situation is that the Braves were able to give Morton a 5-0 lead through three before he ultimately left the game. Morton lasted 2.1 innings while giving up only one hit and striking out three.

“We've been through this many times this year,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, “losing key components to our club. I mean, really key components. We're going to continue. It's not going to be an excuse or anything else. We're going to go out and continue to try and win games.”

And that’s what the Braves bullpen did. Despite getting rocked for seven hits, four relievers allowed only two runs while that five-run cushion was more than enough to propel them to a win. A.J. Minter and Luke Jackson threw three strikeouts each, and Will Smith threw the only walk out of the bullpen.

Meanwhile, lost in the shuffle of the Braves’ hot start was them knocking top ERA pitcher Framber Valdez out of the game after only two innings. Valdez allowed eight hits and five runs through just two innings of work, along with two home runs; the other was to Adam Duvall on a two-run shot in the top of the third.

“It was just the emotion of the situation, being the starter for Game 1 of the World Series, being the starter for the Astros in the World Series,” Valdez said through an interpreter. “I think it was that more than anything else. It was maybe trying to do a bit too much, throwing a bit too hard.”

Michael Brantley went 3-for-5 in the No. 2 spot and he was really the only one to put an effort together in the box. Jose Altuve went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts; Alex Bregman struck out twice going 0-for-4; and Carlos Correa went 0-for-3 while striking out.

The big bats need to come alive in Game 2, but it won’t be easy. Max Fried will be on the mound for the Braves. He went 0-1 in his two starts in the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers; he lasted only 4.2 innings while giving up five earned runs in Game 5, but threw six strong innings in Atlanta’s Game 1 victory of that series.

“Against this club here, I'd rather get a 5-0 lead after the seventh inning than when we did, because they have so much time to come back and it's such a dangerous team,” Snitker said. “They've been through these wars, and they're so dangerous, and they're so relentless, which makes it even more special to me in what our bullpen did.”

The Astros are turning to Jose Urquidy for Game 2, and it’s another sign that the Houston rotation is thinning out. They’re already without Lance McCullers Jr. and Valdez already got rocked. There’s a legit chance the Astros could head to Atlanta down two games. Home-field advantage may be gone, but Dusty Baker should have a plan to get this level. If not, the Fall Classic could be in danger. Astros win 5-4

The Braves are 25-8 after a stretch of winning six or seven of their last eight games.

Teams are 55-21 in the last three seasons when Fried starts.

The Astros are 1-6 this season after the bullpen threw seven innings or more the previous game.

Teams are 17-9 the last three seasons when Urquidy starts.

Jorge Soler (R) DH

Freddie Freeman (L) 1B

Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

Austin Riley (R) 3B

Eddie Rosario (L) LF

Adam Duvall (R) CF

Travis d'Arnaud (R) C

Joc Pederson (L) RF

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Jose Altuve (R) 2B

Michael Brantley (L) LF

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Carlos Correa (R) SS

Kyle Tucker (L) RF

Yuli Gurriel (R) 1B

Chas McCormick (R) CF

Martin Maldonado (R) C

Probable starting pitchers: Max Fried (ATL) vs. Jose Urquidy (HOU)