So the Astros lost today, 10-3, having given up ten unanswered runs after Mookie Betts pulled back what would have been a three-run home run from Josh Reddick, and would have given the Astros a 6-0 death punch of a lead. But Mookie Betts did pull that home run back, or at least reach his hand over the joke of a day care door they call their right field fence. So whatever. 3-0 lead, right? Let's take a look at the decision to pull Peacock for Liriano:
*Pulling Brad Peacock.
Brad Peacock had thrown 58 pitches, not a lot for Peacock. By inning it went:
1st inning: 18 pitches, 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB
2nd inning: 23 pitches, 3H/1ER, 1K:1BB
Two hits led off the 2nd inning, both singles that were in the bottom half of the plate, but a little too far out over the middle. The walk featured only two egregious balls, but whatever. The Red Sox had the bases loaded with nobody out and only pushed across one run, thanks to a strikeout of Bradley, Gurriel throwing to home on a soft grounder to 1st, and a Pedroia liner to right field. Wasn't ideal, but not a deal-breaker.
3rd inning: 17 pitches, 2H/1ER (at the time he left the game), 2K:0BB.
Peacock started out with two strikeouts over 14 pitches. Then Mitch Moreland hammered a double to the deepest part of Fenway where Springer either lost the ball or forgot how to play center and had no idea where the ball was coming off the carom. Next batter, Hanley Ramirez hit a liner slightly over Marwin's head that Marwin actually got a glove on...but it bounced on/off/out/whatever and scored a run, and let Hanley get to second base. Insert Getting To Second Base on Brad Peacock joke here.
Peacock's day was done. Moreland's double is what it is - he hits that ball anywhere to the right of where he hit it, and it's a solo home run. If Marwin had caught Hanley Ramirez's shot, however, the inning would be over and - while Peacock had been knocked around a little bit, you might let him handle 7-8-9 in the 4th and see if he can get you to the 5th. As it was, the Red Sox had just cut the Astros' lead from 3-0 to 3-2 and had a runner on second base. Rafael Devers - a lefty - was 0x2 in his career against Brad Peacock and had not faced Francisco Liriano. But Devers is 20, so what do you expect.
Still, none of this happens if Marwin makes that catch. Would Derek Fisher make that catch? Maybe, but you want Marwin's bat in the lineup until it becomes more of a benefit to trade Marwin's bat for Fisher's defense and currently-non-existant bat. You don't make defensive replacements in the 3rd inning.
*Inserting Francisco Liriano
Now here's where it gets tricky, because it was in the very next at-bat that the Red Sox took the lead and never looked back. And it's easy to just yell "Idiot Hinch!" for putting Liriano in, whose track record has been spotty at best since joining the Astros at the deadline. But to just yell, "LIRIANO!" and curse your very existence is maybe misguided.
But let's keep in mind that Devers has hit .400/.474/.600 in 57 PAs against LHPs this season. That said, let's look at using Liriano here. We're 2+ weeks since Tom Verducci's article saying that the Astros abandoned the idea of trying to "fix" Liriano's mechanics and improve his command, instead deciding to just have the catcher set up in the middle of the plate and let Liriano's stuff take over.
Overall, lefties have hit .245/.300/.355 off Liriano in 2017. But let's assume that the Astros tried to fix Liriano for a month before just deciding "Screw it" and letting his stuff do its thing. That said, Hinch/Strom used Liriano sparingly in September. He only faced 22 batters, but 17 of them were lefties in which they put together a .133/.235/.200 line, with 5K:2BB. Compare that to August, when Liriano faced 20 left-handed hitters, who tagged him for a .412/.500/.471 line. He didn't strike any of those dudes out.
So things had been better in September if you want Liriano to get a lefty out. Liriano had not allowed a home run as an Astro - his last home run allowed was on July 24 against Oakland. All things being equal, putting Liriano in to face Devers is defensible. Yeah, Devers could get a hit, which would tie the game by scoring Hanley but not give the Red Sox the lead. Credit Devers for the home run. But none of this happens if Marwin makes that catch.
At this point, it's still 4-3. David Price dominated the Astros, who were 2x10 w/RISP (the Red Sox were 7x12). From Innings 4-7 Price let the Astros get five baserunners, none of whom scored. Astros hitters were 2x7 on balls hit to the outfield - all of them to RF Mookie Betts. By the time Price left it was already 10-3 Boston.
It was an unlucky game. Could have turned a bunch of different ways, but didn't today. Rain is in the forecast pretty much all day tomorrow (Monday) so don't expect the Astros and Red Sox to play G4 until Tuesday. Chris Sale will be on normal rest, but so will Justin Verlander. (Still think Morton gets the nod, so as to keep Verlander/Keuchel in line to start the potential ALCS games). But the Astros just need to win one of the next two games. The Red Sox need to win both. Sure would have been nice to wrap it up today and wait to see what happens in Cleveland. But somehow that's how it goes.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
Showing posts with label 2017 Postseason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2017 Postseason. Show all posts
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Saturday Morning 2-0 Hot Links
*Well. The Astros got to Drew Pomeranz, and the team that was 21-24 against lefty starters in the regular season is now 2-0 against lefty starters in the postseason. George Springer got sprung and the Astros eventually coasted to another 8-2 win over the Sons of Liberty.
*(Houston) Keuchel took a little while to settle in, eventually throwing 5.2IP, 3H/1ER, 7K:3BB.
Keuchel, Innings 1-2: 48 pitches, 3H/1ER, 3K/1BB
Keuchel, Innings 3-5.2: 48 pitches, 0H/0ER, 4K:1BB
Keuchel retired 13 batters in a row.
*Springer, who hit a home run (2x4, BB, RBI)
For us to come out and score off of those guys over there is obviously huge for us. (Sale and Pomeranz) are two quality arms who have started the games, and we've been stringing along with some quality at-bats and scoring early.
*Correa, who went 2x4 with a walk and 4RBI:
You've seen it throughout the whole season. One through nine, everybody can do damage, everybody can go deep. That's the good thing about our lineup, there's no holes in our lineup, and we feel very confident, no matter if we went 0-for-4 the day before or if we went 4-for-4.
*Alex Rodriguez broke down Carlos Correa's swing.
*The Astros had the bases loaded twice, and went 0x5.
*Dustin Pedroia, who is basically Matt Damon in The Departed at this point, summed it up:
They've played it great. They've done everything right, and we haven't done anything right. Hopefully, getting back home and getting in front of our fans will give us a boost and get us back in this series.
*More Pedroia:
We just got our ass kicked twice. Confidence is irrelevant at this point.
*Mookie Betts told Tyler Kepner:
We can only be ourselves. We can't go out and bang like them. We can't do a whole lot of things that they can do, but we can do what we can do. And what we do got us in the playoffs, and I'm pretty sure it can win us the World Series, too.
*Red Sox manager John Farrell:
They're very good, they're deep, and they have got a number of ways to beat you. So we fully respect and understood the opponent, and they're playing like that.
*The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham:
There was a sort of grim resignation in the Red Sox clubhouse that Houston is a much better team.
*Boston Herald's Jason Mastrodonato:
Forget about talent. The Red Sox simply didn't look ready to play.
*Boston Herald's Michael Silverman:
But yesterday's brutal Game 2 Division series loss exposed the most glaring weakness this team possesses: That it's offense, a punchless and moody group of hitters who put their worst on display when the team needed them the most in the 8-2 loss.
*Hinch:
We won't take anything for granted. This is a team that's very, very laser-focused on winning the series. You don't win the series with two wins - you win it with three.
*Richard Justice says the Minute Maid crowd shows Houston's resilience. Keuchel:
Just to be at home, everybody is so comfortable here, and we played so well. I know we played better, record-wise, on the road this year, but just being back at home at Minute Maid, where everybody's gone through a lot...it just means a lot to us to be here and for the fans to be out here.
*Jenny Dial Creech says these Astros look like something special.
*Providence Journal: Of the 56 teams to bedown up 0-2 in the division series, 49 have gone on to win. Since 2003, 30 of 32 teams have gone on to win the division series.
*MLB announced that the Astros and Red Sox will play afternoon games as long as the Cleveland/New York series is still going on. Like it's 1922, or something.
*Brad Peacock will start G3 at Fenway on Sunday afternoon. Hinch, on the decision:
He's had an exceptional season as a starter. He's filled a couple different roles, and he's earned this start. I think his effectiveness, his calmness, his ability to throw strikes, he's got real weapons, he gets a ton of swing and miss. His season speaks for itself, which is why we would turn to him in Game 3.
Charles Morton would start G4. McCullers is presumably ready out of the bullpen to close out the series on Sunday. Or whatever afternoon/not-convenient time MLB has decided to play this series.
*FiveThirtyEight says the Astros won G3 5500 out of 10000 times in simulations.
*Carlos Correa has worked with Jim Crane to send another plane full of supplies to Puerto Rico, which pretty much everyone in the contiguous 48 states has forgotten about. Don't do that.
*Alex Speier wrote about the Astros trying to stay ahead of the analytics curve. Luhnow:
It's a double-edged sword. If (other teams are) following things we did first, it means, a) it works; and b) our advantage is gone, or dissipating. That's why we're constantly trying to figure out how we can gain small advantages in multiple areas.
*FanGraphs: Has the era of the super-team arrived?
*Former Fresno manager Tony DeFrancesco has been hired by the Mets to manage their PCL team in Las Vegas.
*Oh hey here's a surprise, Jon Heyman picked Aaron Judge over Jose Altuve for AL MVP.
*Elsewhere in the postseason:
ALDS: Cleveland came back from an 8-3 deficit to beat the Yankees 9-8 in 13 innings. Edwin Encarnacion looked like he really hurt his ankle and I did not enjoy replays of that play. Cleveland has a 2-0 lead.
NLDS: Chicago held Washington to two hits, winning 3-0 to take a 1-0 series lead.
NLDS: Taijuan Walker became the latest playoff pitcher to not last two innings as LA beat Arizona 9-5 to take a 1-0 series lead. J.D. Martinez hit a home run, though.
*This is extremely my jam: 20 lost indie Britpop bands of the 2000s. (I'm sorry but The Bravery is not "lost.")
The Astros played like Whataburger was on the line— Whataburger® (@Whataburger) October 6, 2017
*(Houston) Keuchel took a little while to settle in, eventually throwing 5.2IP, 3H/1ER, 7K:3BB.
Keuchel, Innings 1-2: 48 pitches, 3H/1ER, 3K/1BB
Keuchel, Innings 3-5.2: 48 pitches, 0H/0ER, 4K:1BB
Keuchel retired 13 batters in a row.
*Springer, who hit a home run (2x4, BB, RBI)
For us to come out and score off of those guys over there is obviously huge for us. (Sale and Pomeranz) are two quality arms who have started the games, and we've been stringing along with some quality at-bats and scoring early.
*Correa, who went 2x4 with a walk and 4RBI:
You've seen it throughout the whole season. One through nine, everybody can do damage, everybody can go deep. That's the good thing about our lineup, there's no holes in our lineup, and we feel very confident, no matter if we went 0-for-4 the day before or if we went 4-for-4.
*Alex Rodriguez broke down Carlos Correa's swing.
*The Astros had the bases loaded twice, and went 0x5.
*Dustin Pedroia, who is basically Matt Damon in The Departed at this point, summed it up:
They've played it great. They've done everything right, and we haven't done anything right. Hopefully, getting back home and getting in front of our fans will give us a boost and get us back in this series.
*More Pedroia:
We just got our ass kicked twice. Confidence is irrelevant at this point.
*Mookie Betts told Tyler Kepner:
We can only be ourselves. We can't go out and bang like them. We can't do a whole lot of things that they can do, but we can do what we can do. And what we do got us in the playoffs, and I'm pretty sure it can win us the World Series, too.
*Red Sox manager John Farrell:
They're very good, they're deep, and they have got a number of ways to beat you. So we fully respect and understood the opponent, and they're playing like that.
*The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham:
There was a sort of grim resignation in the Red Sox clubhouse that Houston is a much better team.
*Boston Herald's Jason Mastrodonato:
Forget about talent. The Red Sox simply didn't look ready to play.
*Boston Herald's Michael Silverman:
But yesterday's brutal Game 2 Division series loss exposed the most glaring weakness this team possesses: That it's offense, a punchless and moody group of hitters who put their worst on display when the team needed them the most in the 8-2 loss.
*Hinch:
We won't take anything for granted. This is a team that's very, very laser-focused on winning the series. You don't win the series with two wins - you win it with three.
*Richard Justice says the Minute Maid crowd shows Houston's resilience. Keuchel:
Just to be at home, everybody is so comfortable here, and we played so well. I know we played better, record-wise, on the road this year, but just being back at home at Minute Maid, where everybody's gone through a lot...it just means a lot to us to be here and for the fans to be out here.
*Jenny Dial Creech says these Astros look like something special.
*Providence Journal: Of the 56 teams to be
*MLB announced that the Astros and Red Sox will play afternoon games as long as the Cleveland/New York series is still going on. Like it's 1922, or something.
*Brad Peacock will start G3 at Fenway on Sunday afternoon. Hinch, on the decision:
He's had an exceptional season as a starter. He's filled a couple different roles, and he's earned this start. I think his effectiveness, his calmness, his ability to throw strikes, he's got real weapons, he gets a ton of swing and miss. His season speaks for itself, which is why we would turn to him in Game 3.
Charles Morton would start G4. McCullers is presumably ready out of the bullpen to close out the series on Sunday. Or whatever afternoon/not-convenient time MLB has decided to play this series.
*FiveThirtyEight says the Astros won G3 5500 out of 10000 times in simulations.
*Carlos Correa has worked with Jim Crane to send another plane full of supplies to Puerto Rico, which pretty much everyone in the contiguous 48 states has forgotten about. Don't do that.
*Alex Speier wrote about the Astros trying to stay ahead of the analytics curve. Luhnow:
It's a double-edged sword. If (other teams are) following things we did first, it means, a) it works; and b) our advantage is gone, or dissipating. That's why we're constantly trying to figure out how we can gain small advantages in multiple areas.
*FanGraphs: Has the era of the super-team arrived?
*Former Fresno manager Tony DeFrancesco has been hired by the Mets to manage their PCL team in Las Vegas.
*Oh hey here's a surprise, Jon Heyman picked Aaron Judge over Jose Altuve for AL MVP.
*Elsewhere in the postseason:
ALDS: Cleveland came back from an 8-3 deficit to beat the Yankees 9-8 in 13 innings. Edwin Encarnacion looked like he really hurt his ankle and I did not enjoy replays of that play. Cleveland has a 2-0 lead.
NLDS: Chicago held Washington to two hits, winning 3-0 to take a 1-0 series lead.
NLDS: Taijuan Walker became the latest playoff pitcher to not last two innings as LA beat Arizona 9-5 to take a 1-0 series lead. J.D. Martinez hit a home run, though.
*This is extremely my jam: 20 lost indie Britpop bands of the 2000s. (I'm sorry but The Bravery is not "lost.")
Friday, October 6, 2017
Friday Morning Hot Links
*LOLOLOLOLOLOL. Jose Altuve is the greatest player of all time, Justin Verlander > Randy Johnson, and the Astros just need ten more wins to have a big damn parade downtown.
*Justin Verlander did Justin Verlander things: throwing 6IP, 6H/2ER, 3K:2BB. His 3K in a start were the fewest since he failed to record a strikeout of a single Cleveland Indian on July 2. He had struck out 4+ in 31 of his 34 starts in 2017. It's his 10th straight start of two or fewer walks. Verlander:
Today was just incredible. It's great to be a part of a town that has embraced us this much...It was just incredible. From the moment I walked out on the field, it seemed like it was electric. To the point where I was like, 'let's focus on what you gotta do.' It's a great feeling.
*Bregman, on Verlander:
Just his presence, him being in here, it's meant everything. He's special, man.
*Chris Sale's line: 5IP, 9H/7ER, 6K:1BB, 3 HR allowed. Sale had not allowed nine hits in a start since June 10. He has now allowed 7HR in his last 10IP. Chris Sale is what it looks like when you are on a regimen of kale smoothies and meth.
*Jose Altuve hit three - THREE - home runs today. Let's put this in context:
Altuve's postseason home runs today: 3
Jeff Bagwell's postseason HR, career: 2
Craig Biggio's postseason HR, career: 2
It's only the 10th 3HR game in Major League Baseball postseason history. Jose Altuve had never hit three home runs in a game in his career before. He hit five home runs in 152 games in 2013. Pay him. Pay that man his money.
*Altuve, ever the gentleman:
I love the way that the team went out there and played today. We put a lot of good at-bats together, and when Marwin doubled, it was real big. But I think one of the keys was when Alex homered. I think he set the tone.
*Altuve:
I couldn't believe any of my homers. I hit one and I was like, "Wow." And the second one is like, "Wow, what's going on here?" (The third?) I don't know. I've got to wake up.
*Here's Cut4 ranking Altuve's 3HR game.
*Hitting coach Alonso Powell, who spent time in Japan with Ichiro, said of Altuve:
I know Ichiro well, and I never thought I'd say that I would see a better hitter than Ichiro. But three months into the season last year, I made that concession.
*Bregman:
It's going to be a different guy for us every game, like it has been all year...We were ready to compete. We've been waiting for this day for a long time.
*Josh Reddick, playing for the first time in 11 games, reached base three times:
My legs feel really heavy right now, but I'll come in early tomorrow, get some treatment, take care of it and get things ready to roll for tomorrow.
*The bullpen of Devenski, Harris, Liriano, and Musgrove threw 3IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:0BB. Both hits belonged to Will Harris.
*Marwin, on Keuchel's G2 start:
We're expecting something good. Everybody is, obviously the fans, too. He's one of the best pitchers in the league...He's been dominating all year, so I hope he has a good game tomorrow and we have the confidence that he's going to have.
*Collin McHugh was left off the ALDS roster in favor of Lance McCullers. McHugh:
My mindset has always been it's a privilege to be here. It's a privilege to play Major League Baseball, especially on a team that has a chance to win the World Series...Just because I'm not on the roster doesn't take away from what I've been able to add to this team throughout the season.
*Adrenaline is playing a big part of why Hinch hasn't named a G3 starter.
*Eduardo Nunez, he of the sketchy knee, didn't make it to 1st base in the 1st inning before said knee tweaked on him. Unfortunately, daggum Chris Young will replace him. Like, the Bellaire grad Chris Young, who has played in 66 games against the Astros to the tune of .318/.378/.577. Young has 20+ games against 28 of the 30 MLB teams and his .956 OPS against Houston ranks 2nd. I know he's hitting .235/.322/.387, but that dude scares me to death.
*Jim Crane might win a humanitarian award for what he's done for Houston and Puerto Rico.
*Alex Jacobs, a scout, left for Arizona and Jon Heyman is predictably upset. Half of his Astros notes (or, one out of two) are about the Astros "losing people."
*Not even remotely Astros-related, but the LA Times' Andy McCullough has a great story about Clayton Kershaw and 2016 NLDS G5.
*Justin Verlander did Justin Verlander things: throwing 6IP, 6H/2ER, 3K:2BB. His 3K in a start were the fewest since he failed to record a strikeout of a single Cleveland Indian on July 2. He had struck out 4+ in 31 of his 34 starts in 2017. It's his 10th straight start of two or fewer walks. Verlander:
Today was just incredible. It's great to be a part of a town that has embraced us this much...It was just incredible. From the moment I walked out on the field, it seemed like it was electric. To the point where I was like, 'let's focus on what you gotta do.' It's a great feeling.
*Bregman, on Verlander:
Just his presence, him being in here, it's meant everything. He's special, man.
*Chris Sale's line: 5IP, 9H/7ER, 6K:1BB, 3 HR allowed. Sale had not allowed nine hits in a start since June 10. He has now allowed 7HR in his last 10IP. Chris Sale is what it looks like when you are on a regimen of kale smoothies and meth.
*Jose Altuve hit three - THREE - home runs today. Let's put this in context:
Altuve's postseason home runs today: 3
Jeff Bagwell's postseason HR, career: 2
Craig Biggio's postseason HR, career: 2
It's only the 10th 3HR game in Major League Baseball postseason history. Jose Altuve had never hit three home runs in a game in his career before. He hit five home runs in 152 games in 2013. Pay him. Pay that man his money.
*Altuve, ever the gentleman:
I love the way that the team went out there and played today. We put a lot of good at-bats together, and when Marwin doubled, it was real big. But I think one of the keys was when Alex homered. I think he set the tone.
*Altuve:
I couldn't believe any of my homers. I hit one and I was like, "Wow." And the second one is like, "Wow, what's going on here?" (The third?) I don't know. I've got to wake up.
*Here's Cut4 ranking Altuve's 3HR game.
Great photo by @coomerchron of Rich Dauer’s reaction to Jose Altuve’s third home run in Game 1 of Astros-Red Sox pic.twitter.com/Xy09ureqZs— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) October 6, 2017
*Hitting coach Alonso Powell, who spent time in Japan with Ichiro, said of Altuve:
I know Ichiro well, and I never thought I'd say that I would see a better hitter than Ichiro. But three months into the season last year, I made that concession.
*Bregman:
It's going to be a different guy for us every game, like it has been all year...We were ready to compete. We've been waiting for this day for a long time.
*Josh Reddick, playing for the first time in 11 games, reached base three times:
My legs feel really heavy right now, but I'll come in early tomorrow, get some treatment, take care of it and get things ready to roll for tomorrow.
*The bullpen of Devenski, Harris, Liriano, and Musgrove threw 3IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:0BB. Both hits belonged to Will Harris.
*Marwin, on Keuchel's G2 start:
We're expecting something good. Everybody is, obviously the fans, too. He's one of the best pitchers in the league...He's been dominating all year, so I hope he has a good game tomorrow and we have the confidence that he's going to have.
*Collin McHugh was left off the ALDS roster in favor of Lance McCullers. McHugh:
My mindset has always been it's a privilege to be here. It's a privilege to play Major League Baseball, especially on a team that has a chance to win the World Series...Just because I'm not on the roster doesn't take away from what I've been able to add to this team throughout the season.
*Adrenaline is playing a big part of why Hinch hasn't named a G3 starter.
*Eduardo Nunez, he of the sketchy knee, didn't make it to 1st base in the 1st inning before said knee tweaked on him. Unfortunately, daggum Chris Young will replace him. Like, the Bellaire grad Chris Young, who has played in 66 games against the Astros to the tune of .318/.378/.577. Young has 20+ games against 28 of the 30 MLB teams and his .956 OPS against Houston ranks 2nd. I know he's hitting .235/.322/.387, but that dude scares me to death.
*Jim Crane might win a humanitarian award for what he's done for Houston and Puerto Rico.
*Alex Jacobs, a scout, left for Arizona and Jon Heyman is predictably upset. Half of his Astros notes (or, one out of two) are about the Astros "losing people."
*Not even remotely Astros-related, but the LA Times' Andy McCullough has a great story about Clayton Kershaw and 2016 NLDS G5.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Tuesday Morning Hot Links
*Two more evenings without Astros baseball, well, five more nights since those idiots at Mayjerr Leeg Baysbawl put both ALDS G1 and G2 in the afternoon. At least we have the chance to watch the Twins beat the Yankees tonight and ruin every idiot network executive's sad, sobbing wet dream of a Yankees/Red Sox ALCS.
*Sports Illustrated: The case for the Houston Astros to win the World Series.
*Oh here come Teh Pundits!
-Whereas five of the six baseball writers polled by USA Today picked the Astros to beat the Red Sox (I see you, Ted Berg), not a single solitary one thought the Astros would get past the Indians.
-Same thing for the Washington Post.
-18 of ESPN's 29 responses had the Indians beating the Astros in the ALCS.
*Bovada lists the Astros as +450 to win the World Series, +225 to win the AL Pennant.
*Justin Verlander is, wait for it, ready for the postseason, having tweaked the mechanics in his arm.
*Oh good. Angel Hernandez will be a part of the ALDS umpiring crew.
*How the Astros built their postseason roster.
*Don't get MLB Network? Don't worry, they're going to offer a free preview until October 11.
*Will Dallas Keuchel win another Gold Glove?
*Josh Reddick and the Astros: a match made in baseball heaven.
*Sporting News writer says the Astros are the 2nd-most likable team in the postseason...behind Cleveland.
*John Perrotto gives Altuve the AL MVP nod.
*The Braves are an absolute dumpster fire right now.
*Sports Illustrated: The case for the Houston Astros to win the World Series.
*Oh here come Teh Pundits!
-Whereas five of the six baseball writers polled by USA Today picked the Astros to beat the Red Sox (I see you, Ted Berg), not a single solitary one thought the Astros would get past the Indians.
-Same thing for the Washington Post.
-18 of ESPN's 29 responses had the Indians beating the Astros in the ALCS.
*Bovada lists the Astros as +450 to win the World Series, +225 to win the AL Pennant.
*Justin Verlander is, wait for it, ready for the postseason, having tweaked the mechanics in his arm.
*Oh good. Angel Hernandez will be a part of the ALDS umpiring crew.
*How the Astros built their postseason roster.
*Don't get MLB Network? Don't worry, they're going to offer a free preview until October 11.
*Will Dallas Keuchel win another Gold Glove?
*Josh Reddick and the Astros: a match made in baseball heaven.
*Sporting News writer says the Astros are the 2nd-most likable team in the postseason...behind Cleveland.
*John Perrotto gives Altuve the AL MVP nod.
*The Braves are an absolute dumpster fire right now.
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