Thanks to dominant pitching performances from Justin Verlander and the historically great Gerrit Cole, the Houston Astros have a 2-0 series over the Tampa Bay Rays in the best-of-five ALDS. The series now shifts from Minute Maid Park to Tropicana Field with the home team trying to avoid elimination.

Now, let's set the scene with some essentials. 

Who wins every MLB game? And what underdogs can give you a huge victory in the postseason? Visit SportsLine now to see the exact score of every postseason game, plus get full player stat projections, all from the model that simulates every game 10,000 times.

How to watch

Date: Monday, Oct. 7 | Time: 1:05 p.m. ET
Location: Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
TV: MLB Network | Stream: MLB.tv
Odds: HOU -145 | TB +135 | O/U: 8
Starting pitchers: RHP Charlie Morton (TB) vs. RHP Zack Greinke (HOU)
Follow: CBS Sports App 

Preview

It has been an ugly few days for the Rays, who are hitting .177/.250/.210 with 27 strikeouts in the ALDS. The good news is they don't have to face Verlander or Cole in Game 3. The bad news is they instead get Greinke, a possible future Hall of Famer. The styles could not be more different -- Verlander and Cole are pure power pitchers whereas Greinke is a command artist -- and the Rays have to hope the change of pace gets their offense on track.

Tampa will send Morton, a former Astro, to the mound with their season on the line in Game 3. Morton wasn't at his best in the AL Wild Card Game last week, but he was good enough to win. The Rays will probably need a better performance in Game 3 to stay alive. The Astros have a devastating lineup, one that owns a .284/.342/.448 batting line in the ALDS. Since switching to the 2-2-1 LDS format two decades ago, 30 teams have won Games 1 and 2 at home, and 27 have gone on to win the series.

Prediction

With all due respect to the Rays, who are a very good team that won 96 games during the regular season, this series has been a total mismatch. The Astros are better at everything (hitting, pitching, defense, baserunning) and it has been plainly obvious through two games. Our prediction is Morton turns in a valiant effort in Game 3, but ultimately the Astros are just too good, and they finish the sweep and advance to the ALCS for the third consecutive season.

Pick: Astros 3, Rays 1