Wow! Game 1 of the World Series became an instant classic. It started with a back-and-f0rth battle before Corey Seager launched a game-tying 2-run home run in the bottom of the 9th to send the game to extras. And when Adolis Garcia came up in the bottom of the 11th, he ended it with one swing, giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
Now, for Game 2, it’s Merrill Kelly and Jordan Montgomery on the hill. Here’s my Same Game Parlay that I made at FanDuel and pays out at over 6/1 odds.
Under 9 (-112)
NRFI (-111)
Adolis Garcia 1+ RBI (-110)
Same Game Parlay odds: +628
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Texas Rangers Under 9 (-112)
We had a bevy of runs from both teams early in Game 1 of the World Series, and it looked like we were going to blow past the over. Then everything went quiet in the middle innings, and the under was looking strong with the high-leverage arms coming on. However, a late-inning blast by Corey Seager turned that one into an over. I am looking for Game 2 to go in the opposite direction.
Aside from having two good pitchers on the mound, the key to tamping down the scoring for both sides is controlling the top of the lineups. If the Rangers can keep Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte off the bases, Arizona will struggle to score (and Carroll is in a bad platoon split against the lefty Jordan Montgomery). Likewise, keeping Corey Seager and Evan Carter off the bases means that Adolis Garcia can hit only solo shots. I am looking for both teams to have an approach that quietens those key bats and makes the bottom half of the order step up. I expect a quieter night at the dish with runs being manufactured rather than slugged in bunches. I’ll take the under in Game 2.
Check out our Arizona Diamondbacks vs Texas Rangers predictions
No Run First Inning (-111)
The question for this leg is whether Merrill Kelly or Montgomery allow a run in the first inning. And my answer is simple – no. Kelly has been a phenomenal sidekick to Zac Gallen all season, and he’s been even better than Gallen in the postseason. Kelly owns a 2.65 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 4 postseason starts, and he’s allowed just a .153 batting average while striking out 28% of the hitters. In the first inning, Kelly has allowed a run just once in his 4 postseason starts. But going even further back, he’s allowed a first-inning run in just 2 of his last 9 outings. His ability to get a lot of ground-ball outs will be the key to his success against an elite Texas top of the order.
Jordan Montgomery has arguably been the best pitcher in the postseason. The lefty owns a 3-0 record, 2.16 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 5 postseason appearances. During those outings, he’s thrown 2 scoreless starts and 1 scoreless relief outing. His sinker and changeup combination have resulted in a lot of weak contact, and fortunately for him, he faces a Snakes offense that prefers right-handers to lefties. In the regular season, the Diamondbacks lineup ranked 20th in batting average, 18th in on-base percentage, 27th in slugging percentage, 24th in OPS and 23rd in wRC+ against left-handed pitching. With a lefty pitcher on the mound and the nerves of a World Series game, I’m expecting both offenses to start slowly tonight.
Adolis Garcia 1+ RBI (-110)
Adolis Garcia will never have to buy himself another beer in Arlington. The Texas cleanup hitter was the hero in Game 1 last night as he launched a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th to win the game. That earned him his 22nd RBI of the postseason, officially passing David Freese and making himself the new leader of RBIs in a single postseason. His walk-off home run wasn’t the only RBI he recorded though, because he also had an RBI single in the first inning which extended his streak to 7 consecutive games with an RBI as well as an RBI in 10 of the 13 postseason games.
Garcia might be seeing a beach ball for a baseball right now because he’s 7 for his last 9 with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs. He’s the hottest hitter on the planet, and if Marcus Semien, Seager and Carter continue to set the table for him, Garcia should continue to produce in run-scoring situations. Garcia to record an RBI in his 8th straight game is the final leg of this parlay.
Read our expert’s favorite MLB player props for tonight’s game
