The battle for the American League pennant continues on Saturday afternoon with Game 2 of the ALCS between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox. The Astros took Game 1 of the best-of-seven series on Friday night by a score of 5-4.

You can view the full postseason schedule by clicking here. With that throat-clearing out of the way, let's get to the important stuff for Game 2.

How to watch

Date: Saturday, Oct. 16 | Time: 4:20 p.m. ET
Location: Minute Maid Park (Houston, Texas)
TV channel: Fox | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free) 
Odds: HOU -115; BOS +105; O/U: 8.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Starting pitchers: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (11-9, 3.75 ERA) vs. RHP Luis Garcia (11-8, 3.30 ERA)

Preview

In the regular season, the series between these two AL powerhouses was thoroughly one-sided, as the Astros won five of seven against Boston and outscored them 42-25 in those seven contests. Four times in the seven games they scored at least seven runs. The 'Stros took three of four from the Red Sox in Houston in late May and early June.

Eovaldi comes in on an extra day of rest, as Alex Cora could've tabbed him to go in Game 1. Eovaldi this postseason has been fairly dominant across two starts, one against the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game and one against the Rays in the ALCS: 10 1/3 combined innings, three runs allowed, 16 strikeouts, one walk. 

As for Garcia, he struggled badly in ALDS Game 3 against the White Sox, allowed five earned in 2 2/3 innings. However, during the regular season he looked strong in his one start against the Red Sox. 

Prediction

Eovaldi has been dominant of late, and all season long his underlying indicators have pointed to this level of dominance. Given the clear edge for Boston in the pitching match-up, we'll lean Sox in Game 2.

Pick: Red Sox 3, Astros 2

2021 MLB postseason gear now available

The 2021 MLB Playoffs start Oct. 5 and 6 with the AL and NL Wild Card games. In celebration, 2021 MLB postseason gear is now available for select teams. Shop hoodies, shirts, and more here.

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