Written By: Evan PerkinsThe Houston Astros (69-58) seek a consecutive victory when facing the Baltimore Orioles (74-55) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Friday, August 23 at 7:05 PM ET. For Game 2 of this four-game series, the Astros are slight favorites with a moneyline at -120.
The Astros snapped a two-game skid when they took on the Orioles in Game 1 of this series. They easily defeated them 6-0, with Yordan Alvarez getting the offense going with an RBI single for the first points on the board.
In this battle, they will start Hunter Brown (11-7) on the mound. Defensively, he has a 3.82 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. The team has also averaged a 3.82 ERA, so this should give them an edge.
They are now 5.5 games ahead in the American League West over the Seattle Mariners. This is a season-high for them, and they have been playing well during their latest 10-game stretch (7-3).
The Astros' batting average is .261, and they are holding their opponents to .230. This is a good ratio and slightly better on paper than the Orioles'.
The Orioles are on a two-game losing streak and need to snap out of it quickly. They are 1.5 games behind the leading New York Yankees in the AL East and cannot afford to slide further in a tough divisional race for the playoffs.
They are 37-29 at home this season, which does not offer the best comfort. The Astros are similar on the road, with a 34-29 record. The Orioles have gone 2-3 over their last five games, indicating they are in a slump for their momentum.
On top of that, they have failed to win a single game against the Astros in four attempts this season. The average score has been the Astros at 8.25 runs compared to the Orioles, scoring 3.25 runs a game.
The Orioles are getting .254 at the plate. On defense, they are allowing opponents to average .236 in return. Against the Astros in the last three games, they have averaged 0.66 runs a game.
MyBookie has the MLB betting odds in the Houston Astros vs. Baltimore Orioles series, with the Astros favored for Game 2. Looking into market insights, the Astros have a 43.1 percent chance of winning.
While both teams are appealing on paper, it is clear that the Astros have a better chance at success to start the game with Brown on the mound. After cleaning up 6-0 in Game 1, the Astros have the best momentum riding into Game 2.
