Houston is a win away from advancing to ALCS

Springer, Valdez lift Astros to ALDS Game 2 win, lead series 2-0

Astros George Springer and Carlos Correa celebrating
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

George Springer celebrates one of two home runs in ALDS Game 2

After doubling up the A's 10-5 in Game 1 to start the series 1-0, the Astros returned to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday afternoon to try and take a commanding 2-0 lead by staying undefeated in the postseason. Here are the highlights from ALDS Game 2:

Final Score: Astros 5, A's 2.

Series: HOU leads 2-0.

Winning Pitcher: Framber Valdez.

Losing Pitcher: Sean Manaea.

The balls keep flying out of Dodger Stadium

The baseball continued to fly out of Dodger Stadium surprisingly well in ALDS Game 2, as found out by George Springer, who followed a ball off the bat of Khris Davis over the center-field wall in the bottom of the second to give Oakland a 1-0 lead. Luckily for the Astros, they were able to take advantage themselves, as Springer would launch one of his own, a two-run dinger with two outs in the top of the third to give Houston their first lead of the day at 2-1.

Michael Brantley led the top of the fourth off with a double, moved to third on a one-out Kyle Tucker single, then scored on an RBI-groundout by Carlos Correa. That made it a two-run game at 3-2, though Chad Pinder would cut it back to one run with a solo homer in the bottom of the inning.

Springer homers again while Valdez impresses again

In the top of the fifth, Martin Maldonado would knock Sean Manaea out of the game with a one-out solo homer to make it a two-run game again at 4-2. Oakland would bring in Yusmeiro Petit, who Springer would meet with his second home run of the game on the at-bat's first pitch, pushing the lead to 5-2.

Meanwhile, Framber Valdez was again proving himself to be the best starter the Astros have going right now. Besides the two solo home runs, he limited the A's to just three other hits while walking only one batter over seven impressive innings. His final line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR, 103 P.

Houston's in the driver's seat

That left six outs for Houston's bullpen to cover and hold on to the three-run lead. After two perfect innings in Game 1, Enoli Paredes would make it back-to-back days on the mound in relief and retire Oakland 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth.

In the bottom of the ninth, still 5-2, Ryan Pressly came in for the chance at another save against the top of Oakland's lineup. After a shaky start to the inning, Pressly would erase a leadoff single, finishing off the win which put the Astros ahead 2-0 in the best-of-five ALDS.

Up Next: ALDS Game 3 will start a bit earlier on Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 2:35 PM Central. The Astros will play as the home team, while the A's will switch to batting first as visitors. Neither team has announced their starters for Games 3 or beyond.

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Tyson squares off with Jake Paul this Friday! Photo via: Wiki Commons.

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul had to wait an extra four months for his high-profile match with 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

The delay from the original plan for July was caused by Tyson having a medical episode on a plane and needing time to recover from a stomach ulcer.

The rescheduled bout is set for Friday night at the $1.2 billion retractable roof home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. The state has sanctioned it as a pro fight with some modifications.

Here's a guide for watching the fight:

When is the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight?

It's hard to give an exact time for the main event Friday night, but it could approach midnight Eastern time. The telecast starts at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Is the Tyson-Paul fight free on Netflix?

While this isn't the more common, and more expensive, pay-per-view format followed by most major boxing events, it does require a Netflix subscription. Netflix reported more than 280 million subscribers worldwide at the end of the third quarter in 2024.

What are the odds on the Tyson-Paul fight?

Paul is a minus-210 betting favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. That means the payout for a Paul victory would be slightly less than half the amount of any bet. The most bet prop is for Tyson to win by KO/TKO or DQ (+275), followed by Tyson to win on points (+1000) and Tyson to win in the first round (+1400).

What's the age difference between the fighters?

It's 31 years. Paul is 27.

When was Tyson's last sanctioned fight?

Tyson retired in 2005 with a record of 50-6, with 44 knockouts, after losing to Kevin McBride. He fought Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition five years ago. Paul is 10-1 with seven knockouts against mostly undistinguished opponents. His loss was to Tommy Fury, the less-accomplished half-brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

How many rounds are scheduled for the Tyson-Paul fight?

The fight is scheduled for eight two-minute rounds, as opposed to the normal three minutes and 10 or 12 rounds for most pro fights. Tyson and Paul also will use heavier gloves with the idea of decreasing the power of punches. The gloves will be 14 ounces instead of 10. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has said Tyson's physical condition met the criteria for the fight to proceed.

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