Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17). Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

MLB Playoff picks: Best bets for Astros vs. Rangers ALCS Game 2

By Jack Dougherty | Last updated 10/16/23

The Texas Rangers opened the ALCS with a 2-0 victory against the Houston Astros on Sunday night, and now they have a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead back to Arlington with a win in Game 2. On the mound for Texas will be Nathan Eovaldi, who's already 2-0 in the postseason. Houston will be rolling with Framber Valdez, who gave up five earned runs to the Minnesota Twins in his lone playoff start this month.

Let's cash some tickets with our two best bets for Game 2 of the ALCS.

Rangers moneyline (+104 FanDuel)

It's time to jump on the Rangers bandwagon.

Texas has been dominant in the postseason with a 6-0 record and a 34-12 run differential. The offense, which paced the team all year, has been solid, but it's been the pitching that's led the way in the playoffs. The Rangers have a 1.83 ERA through six games, which is the second-lowest mark in the postseason.

Eovaldi has led the charge with 15 strikeouts and just two earned runs in 13.2 innings, and he's picked up a win in both of his starts this October. The hottest team in baseball is an underdog once again, so we're jumping on the plus-money while we still can.

Nathan Eovaldi over 4.5 Ks (+122 FD)

Playoff Eovaldi is back, folks. The right-hander silenced the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles in his two previous postseason starts, and he can do the same against an Astros lineup that didn't put a single run across the plate in Game 1.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy clearly trusts Eovaldi to handle a full workload, as he's let the 33-year-old go at least 6.2 innings and throw at least 98 pitches in both of his playoff starts. Meanwhile, the Astros finished the regular season with the third-lowest strikeout rate in MLB at 22.22 percent, but that number is up to 26.04 percent in the playoffs.

This shouldn't be plus-money with how well Eovaldi is throwing the ball.

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