Zac Gallen strong outing facing Justin Verlander Astros

I spent a lot of time with a blinking cursor at the start of the Arizona Diamondbacks preview wondering if they were the most improbable World Series participant ever. It is impossible to ignore that they were 125/1 to win the World Series coming into the season, but they also snuck into the playoffs thanks to a very weak Wild Card group in the…

PHOENIX - The Arizona Diamondbacks faced a 3-2 deficit to the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series and counted on ace pitchers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling to keep the fight alive. They did. The Diamondbacks now face a 3-1 hole in their second-ever World Series, this time against the Texas Rangers. They similarly line up their top two…

What a game last night! Unfortunately, I took a loss, as the Diamondbacks on the money line did not come through. They were up 5-3 with one out in the ninth inning with Paul Sewald, who was 6/6 in save opportunities. Corey Seager hit one to the moon with a runner on and tied the game. At that point, the game was over. We have now been on the losing…

A couple of late comebacks made Friday the most dramatic night of baseball's postseason so far. Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning and the Houston Astros, following another bench-clearing scuffle with the rival Texas Rangers, rallied for a wild 5-4 victory in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series. A few hours later in Phoenix,…

Three of the four LCS participants have won two straight games in their respective series. The Houston Astros achieved that feat to move level with the Texas Rangers in the ALCS. The Astros should feel like they are the favorite to win the series now that they can turn to Justin Verlander to take an advantage over their in-state rival. The Arizona…

On Sunday, the Texas Rangers won their first-ever postseason meeting with the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS, earning a 2-0 victory in a tense pitching duel between Justin Verlander and Jordan Montgomery. The Rangers improved to 6-0 in the playoffs, while the Astros were shut out for the first time since early September. Will Houston bounce…

The Minnesota Twins will play the Houston Astros in Game 2 of the ALDS on Sunday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Houston won the first game in this series by a score of 6-4 on Saturday afternoon. The Minnesota Twins were able to get a big series win against the Blue Jays in the Wild Card round, where they won both games by scores of…

The Houston Astros (88-72) took a big step toward punching their postseason ticket on Friday night, hanging on in the ninth inning for a win in the series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks (84-76). Wild Card berths will be on the line in both directions as these two teams get back at it on Saturday, with first pitch from Chase Field set for…

After the first three games of the last ten to finish the season resulted in the Mariners being swept in Arlington, questions arose, and hope started to become lost. Going into the series against the Texas Rangers on Friday, Seattle was tied with the team they were set to play, and just a half game back of the division. Not only did Seattle get…

The New York Yankees and the Houston Astros meet Friday in MLB action from Minute Maid Park. New York is fresh off a four-game set versus the Tigers. In that series New York won the first three without too much trouble. In the Thursday finale the Yankees took a close loss and missed out on the sweep. As for Houston, they played the Red Sox this…

Four teams had at least 10 runs on Sunday, led by the 17-run explosion by the Houston Astros as those who rolled with Justin Verlander in his return to Detroit came out feeling pretty good. The MLB predictions aren't calling for quite as much offense on Monday. Plenty of those making MLB picks are going with the Milwaukee Brewers to make it nine…

Yordan Alvarez has been mashing since returning from injury on July 26 and should be able to take advantage of Nestor Cortes Jr.'s vulnerabilities on the mound. Read more in our Astros vs. Yankees betting picks below. After splitting the first two games in the series, the Houston Astros and New York Yankees are gearing up for playoff pushes heading…

SAN DIEGO - "Let me tell you," Brent Strom says. "Justin is obsessed." And then Strom - the Diamondbacks pitching coach now, but Justin Verlander's pitching coach with the Astros from 2017-21 - takes you into the world of the newest Met. Because the question that Strom is asked about a pitcher he arguably knows better than anyone is what kind of…

After a historic Game Four, the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies will run it back in a crucial Game Five on Thursday. With the Astros' win last night, the 2022 World Series became the 65th time that a best-of-seven series has been squared at two apiece heading into Game Five. The winner of the pivotal Game Five goes on to win the series 70%…

Bryce Harper is the hottest hitter in baseball this postseason, and our free World Series Game 1 prop picks expect that October dominance to continue in his World Series debut on Friday - even against Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander. It took 11 years, but Bryce Harper props are finally a real thing for a World Series game - and boy, has he ever…

HOUSTON (AP) - When Justin Verlander was laboring and needed 45 pitches to get through two innings, Astros manager Dusty Baker was worried he'd have to go to his bullpen early. Instead, the veteran ace buckled down and found a groove, striking out 11 in six strong innings to lead Houston over the New York Yankees 4-2 in their AL Championship Series…

On Tuesday, the Houston Astros will face the Seattle Mariners in Game 1 of their American League Division Series. The Astros are the No. 1 seed in the AL Playoff bracket. Seattle defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in two games in the Wild Card round, and in their first postseason appearance since 2001, the team has become the lovable underdog that many…

At 7:04 Wednesday night, it all started again for Justin Verlander. The name of a future Hall of Famer, loudly echoing inside Minute Maid Park, after the Astros' lineup was announced. Four minutes later, Verlander ran out of the home dugout, crossed a mound of red dirt, picked up a baseball, threw it away, received another baseball, and smoothly…

MLB odds series for our Diamondbacks Astros prediction and pick. Zac Gallen will start for the Diamondbacks, while Justin Verlander gets the call for the Astros. Two of the very best pitchers in baseball go at it in this late-season showcase. Zac Gallen has a 2.46 ERA. He has greatly surpassed anyone's expectations for him this year. If Sandy…

We came extremely close to hitting a same-game parlay last night. However, a leg in each parlay just didn't go our way. We'll look to get back on track with tonight's slate of games. The goal is always to hit one of three same-game parlays per day. If you can do that, you'll be profitable. New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays Leg 1: Aaron Judge…

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Houston Astros 9/28/2022 Picks Predictions Previews The Arizona Diamondbacks will play against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, TX on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, at 8:10 PM ET. The Arizona Diamondbacks went into their game against the Houston Astros on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park hoping to avenge a 3-2 loss to the…

Four hours before the Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 Thursday on a walk-off hit by Mookie Betts, the eyes of everyone in blue were riveted on the Dodger Stadium pitcher's mound. Manager Dave Roberts and bench coach Bob Geren stood near the third-base line, arms folded. President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman watched while…

PHOENIX -- There has been tremendous optimism surrounding the D-backs these days. They had won five straight and six of seven, with their young players running the bases with abandon and tracking down fly balls in every corner of the outfield. Monday brought the highly anticipated promotion of their top prospect, outfielder Corbin Carroll, whom MLB…

The red-hot Houston Astros will be looking to finish off their weekend on a high note as they conclude a three-game series with the Washington Nationals in DC. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:35pm ET. Justin Verlander gets the ball on Sunday while the Nats counter with the struggling Patrick Corbin. Odds as of May 14th at Caesars. The Astros are…

MINNEAPOLIS -- As managerial debuts go, this was not one to remember. The same could be said for Aaron Civale's start and Bryan Shaw's relief appearance. Carl Willis saw his first game as a big-league manager go from a tie game to a 12-8 loss as the Twins scored nine runs in the fifth inning Friday night at Target Field. Civale started the fifth…