The Seattle Mariners and the Houston Astros will continue their best-of-five American League Division Series on Thursday afternoon. The Astros won Game 1 in shocking fashion, as Yordan Alvarez launched a three-run home-run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Houston a walk-off victory.
The winner of this series will advance to the AL Championship Series where they'll meet the victor of the Cleveland Guardians-New York Yankees series..
You can view the full postseason schedule by clicking here, and here's the 2022 playoff bracket. With all the throat clearing out of the way, let's get to the reason you're here.
How to watch
Date: Thursday, Oct. 13 | Time: 3:37 p.m. ET
Location: Minute Maid Park (Houston, Texas)
TV channel: TBS | Live stream: TBS app
Odds: CLE -160; SEA +135 | 7 o/u (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Starting pitchers: LHP Framber Valdez (17-6, 2.82 ERA) vs. RHP Luis Castillo (8-6, 2.99 ERA)
Preview
Castillo, acquired from the Reds at the deadline in a blockbuster trade, posted a 2.99 ERA (138 ERA+) and a 3.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 25 starts this season. He threw four distinct pitches more than 20 percent of the time during the regular season: a pair of mid-to-upper 90s fastballs, his signature changeup, and a slider. The slider was his top bat-misser on the year.
Valdez will be making his 10th postseason appearance. He finished the regular season with a 2.82 ERA (137 ERA+) and a 2.90 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 31 starts. Valdez leans heavily on three pitches: a 94 mph sinker, a swing-and-miss curve, and a cutter. He'll occasionally throw a changeup, but only versus right-handed batters.
Prediction
Picking a single-game winner in baseball is a fool's errand. The Astros are on the better team on paper, so it would be wise to pick them. We like exciting, back-and-forth series, however, and that's why we're picking the Mariners to win on the strength of another good start from Castillo.
Pick: Mariners 3, Astros 2
