The Texas Rangers defeated the Houston Astros on Sunday night at Minute Maid Park in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. The Rangers now lead the best-of-seven series by a 1-0 advantage. The winner of this series will advance to the World Series, where they’ll compete for the championship against either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Astros are partaking in their seventh straight ALCS; the Rangers are in their first ALCS since 2011.
The Astros won nine of 13 regular-season head-to-head matchups against the Rangers. That didn’t matter on Sunday, as Texas received a sterling outing from Jordan Montgomery and some timely contributions from youth outfielders Evan Carter and Leody Taveras. What will Game 2 have in store?
You can view the full postseason schedule by clicking here, and here’s the 2023 playoff bracket. Now, let’s get to how you can watch and find out.
How to watch Game 2
Date: Monday, Oct. 16 | Time: 4:37 p.m.
Location: Minute Maid Park (Houston, Texas)
TV channel: Fox/FS1 | Live stream: fubo (try for free)
Starting pitchers: Framber Valdez (12-11, 3.45 ERA) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (12-5, 3.65 ERA)
Odds: TEX +105 | HOU -125 | O/U: 8.5
Preview
This is a big game for both sides. Historically, MLB teams to take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series have then won said series 84.3% of the time. In other words, the Astros will be in a massive, massive hole if they lose again on Monday afternoon. The series will also be shifting to Arlington, putting the Rangers in prime position to win the pennant against their in-state rivals at home.
Prediction
We like to see every series go its maximum allotment. As such, we’re picking the Astros to win a tight one on a late-and-close home run by slugger Yordan Alvarez. Pick: Astros 4, Rangers 3.
