Altuve homers as Astros defeat Braves 7-2 in Game 2

Jose Altuve bounced back from his 0-5 performance in Game 1 with a home run and Jose Urquidy delivered a quality start as the Houston Astros leveled the World Series at 1-1 with a 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 2. The Braves were not able to get on the board first this time and ultimately couldn’t keep up with Houston’s offense.

Max Fried gave up a run in the first inning to put Atlanta in an early 1-0 hole. Travis d’Arnaud tied the game with a home run in the second inning but that’s where everything unraveled for the road team.

The Astros tallied four runs in the bottom of the second inning, tagging Fried for four runs on five hits. Martin Maldonado provided the crucial swing on a two-run single. Houston got some help from errant fielding on the Braves’ part. On the flip side, Urquidy settled down after some early jitters. The starting pitcher went 5.0 innings and struck out seven while giving up only two runs on six hits.

Altuve’s home run in the seventh provided some insurance for the Astros. The star slugger finished the game 2-5 with one strikeout, a much better outing than his three-strikeout night Tuesday.

Houston was a moneyline favorite at -115 Wednesday. Half of all bets were on the Astros to win Game 2, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Those wagers accounted for roughly 55 percent of the money on the game.

The series now shifts for three straight games in Atlanta. Despite Houston’s win in Game 2, the Braves go back to their ballpark getting the split they wanted. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Atlanta is still the underdog in the series at +120.