The 2019 MLB World Series enters Game 2 tonight after the Nationals survived and conquered the Astros in Game 1. Now, it’s time to preview tonight’s edition of the Fall Classic.
Washington Nationals at Houston Astros
2019 MLB World Series: Game 2
Minute Maid Park
Betting
Despite Strasburg taking the mound for the Nationals, they remain the underdogs (+157) against the Verlander led Astros (-182). The total is set at 7.0 runs (-105 OVER and -115 UNDER) and I like the OVER in this game. Verlander has been susceptible to the long ball and once Strasburg exits, the Nationals bullpen is bound to sacrifice some runs. In fact, I like the +1.5 runline for the Astros (+115) just because of the power in their lineup.
Projected Lineups
| Washington Nationals | Houston Astros |
| Starting Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg | Starting Pitcher: Justin Verlander |
| 1. Trea Turner | 1. George Springer |
| 2. Adam Eaton | 2. Jose Altuve |
| 3. Anthony Rendon | 3. Michael Brantley |
| 4. Juan Soto | 4. Alex Bregman |
| 5. Howie Kendrick | 5. Yulieski Gurriel |
| 6. Asdrubal Cabrera | 6. Yordan Alvarez |
| 7. Ryan Zimmerman | 7. Carlos Correa |
| 8. Kurt Suzuki | 8. Robinson Chirinos |
| 9. Victor Robles | 9. Josh Reddick |
Both teams are making some changes to their 6-8 hitters for Game 2 of the World Series tonight as they try to generate a spark.
Game 1 Review
Last night, Gerrit Cole had his worst outing of the postseason as the Nationals rocked him for 5 earned runs. Also, due to their struggling bullpen, the Nationals actually used Patrick Corbin in relief for an inning which is something to monitor going forward.
The best hitters from last night’s game were Adam Eaton and Juan Soto for the Nationals and George Springer, Yuli Gurriel, and Yordan Alvarez for the Astros.
Once Max Scherzer exited the game for the Nationals, they barely escaped with the lead as Tanner Rainey and Daniel Hudson nearly blew it.
Game 2 Takes
Strasburg has been one of the best pitchers in the playoffs… ever! Pair that with the fact that no Astros batter has faced him more than 5 times in their entire career. Of those batters that have faced Strasburg, Altuve and Bregman had had success in the small sample size.
Verlander hasn’t been in his best form since the postseason started and I think we can chalk that up to father time. As for batters faced on the Nationals, multiple guys have seen quite a bit of Verlander. Of those, Eaton and Kendrick have struggled but Suzuki and Cabrera have seen great success. I’m a little surprised Cabrera wasn’t elevated in the lineup even higher due to his success against the Astros starter.
I’ll mention it again, the Nationals bullpen is atrocious. Keep that in mind in case Strasburg gets pulled from the game earlier than expected.
Prediction
Nationals: 4
Astros: 5
Going Yard: Anthony Rendon
Conclusion
Who do you think will win Game 2 of the 2019 MLB World Series? Let me know in the comments below! Also, check out the shop and other content by clicking here.
-Mitchell Seefeldt
- Arturo Pardavila III on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
