LIVE: Rangers vs. Astros ALCS Game 2 on FOX/FS1

LIVE: Rangers vs. Astros ALCS Game 2 on FOX/FS1

October 16th, 2023

HOUSTON -- It’s been said a best-of-seven playoff series in baseball doesn’t really begin to get intriguing until the road team wins a game. In that case, pull up a seat for Monday afternoon’s Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, where the Rangers will be looking to steal another game on the road from the reigning World Series champion Astros.

Houston is no stranger to dropping the first game of a playoff series at home, having rallied to win the World Series last year in six games after losing Game 1 to the Phillies at Minute Maid Park. The Rangers have won six in a row in the postseason -- five on the road -- since losing the AL West title to the Astros on the final day of the regular season.

Texas hasn’t won consecutive games at Minute Maid Park since 2019, going 8-32 in Houston since May 9, 2019, through the end of the 2023 regular season.

“We obviously know the past and how we've done in here, but none of that matters now,” Rangers catcher Jonah Heim said. “We got two games here to prove that we deserve to be here. I think we're off to a great start.”

Game 2 features another intriguing matchup with Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who grew up about 30 miles south of Houston in the town of Alvin, starting against Astros left-hander Framber Valdez. Eovaldi has a 2.70 ERA in 13 games in the playoffs, while Valdez was a postseason hero for Houston last year by going 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in four starts.

• Game 1 turns on Carter's grab, Altuve's gaffe

The Astros, of course, were shut out by Jordan Montgomery and friends in Game 1 and are still looking for their first extra-base hit of the series. Houston is 40-44 at home in 2023, including the postseason, and hasn’t swung the bat nearly as well at home as it has on the road.

“It doesn’t get any easier tomorrow,” third baseman Alex Bregman said. “Eovaldi is one of the best pitchers in the postseason in the last 10 years, and you have to come tomorrow ready to play.”

When is the game and how can I watch it?
Today's game is being televised in the U.S. on FOX and FS1.

All series are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games are available live internationally (except in Canada). Full game archives will be available approximately 90 minutes after the game ends.

Who are the starting pitchers?
Rangers: RHP
Eovaldi will look to add to his postseason legacy when he takes the mound for Game 2. The big right-hander earned both of the Rangers’ series-clinching wins in the 2023 postseason, including Game 3 of the AL Division Series vs. the Orioles. He has pitched to a 1.32 ERA over those two starts with a 0.80 WHIP.

Astros: LHP
Valdez will make his second postseason start and first since Game 2 of the ALDS vs. the Twins at home on Oct. 8. The lefty yielded five earned runs over 4 1/3 innings in that outing. Valdez made three starts vs. the Rangers in the regular season, posting a 4.32 ERA (eight earned runs in 16 2/3 innings). In his most recent start vs. Texas on Sept. 5 in Arlington, Valdez yielded one earned run over seven innings in a 14-1 win.

What are the starting lineups?
Rangers: Evan Carter, who is hitting .389 with a 1.338 OPS in his first five career postseason games and helped turn a clutch double play in the opener, was not in the lineup, with Robbie Grossman getting the nod in left and batting third.

Garver, who went 0-for-4 in Game 1 of the ALCS out of the three-hole, was slotted fifth.

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Astros: With Valdez taking the ball in Game 2, Chas McCormick is in center and Michael Brantley got his first start of the ALCS in left field.

Manager Dusty Baker split his two lefties -- Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker -- in Game 1 with José Abreu, but those three hitters combined to go 1-for-12 with five strikeouts. For Game 2, Baker put Tucker and Alvarez back to back.

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How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Rangers: The bullpen as a whole has been a weakness this season, but the unit has been relatively steady this postseason. Only three relievers were used in the Game 1 win — Josh Sborz, José Leclerc and Aroldis Chapman — but they have been the Rangers’ most consistent arms this postseason. Bochy has shown a willingness to use all on back-to-back days if necessary in the postseason, so the bullpen should be in good shape.

Astros: With Verlander going 6 2/3 innings in Game 1, the Astros’ bullpen only had to cover 2 1/3 innings, with Hector Neris throwing 17 pitches and Bryan Abreu throwing only nine. Both should be good to go for Game 2, along with closer Ryan Pressly. In other words, the ‘pen is in solid shape and Baker should be able to use his high-leverage relievers at the appropriate times.

Any injuries of note?
Rangers: With Max Scherzer and Jon Gray both being activated from the injured list for the ALCS, the Rangers are in relatively good health at this point.

Reliever Jonathan Hernández was once again left off the ALCS roster due to a right lat strain, an injury that Bochy said was sustained during Game 162, when Hernández tossed one perfect inning with two strikeouts in Texas’ 1-0 loss to Seattle. Bochy had no further update on him on Sunday.

Astros: Relief pitcher Kendall Graveman is battling right shoulder discomfort and will not be on the ALCS roster.

Who’s hot, who’s not?
Rangers: Heim has hit safely in each of Texas’ first six postseason games. The streak is tied for the fourth-longest in Rangers postseason history, trailing 12-game hit streaks by Nelson Cruz and Elvis Andrus in 2010 and an eight-game hit streak by Mitch Moreland spanning 2010-11.

Taveras, who was 2-for-2 with a homer and a walk in Game 1, became the first switch-hitter to homer in Rangers postseason history.

Through the first six games of the playoffs, Semien is hitting .148, and Lowe is batting .154.

Astros: Hard to pick a “who’s hot” after being shut out by the Rangers in Game 1, but Abreu logged one of the Astros’ five hits, and he is batting .300 so far in the postseason. Dubón also recorded a base hit and made a spectacular diving catch of a Semien fly ball in the fifth.

Tucker is still struggling at the plate; the right fielder was 0-for-4 in Game 1 and is hitting .111 in the postseason.