ALDS home field clinched
Behind overwhelming run support, Keuchel cruises as playoffs beckon
ARLINGTON — Dallas Keuchel will finish this season with his fewest starts since his rookie year in 2012.
But all that matters for the Astros is how Keuchel pitches in October, when the American League West champions plan to contend for the franchise’s first World Series title.
Keuchel was sharp in his team’s 14-3 rout of the Rangers on Tuesday night at Globe Life Park in probably his final appearance before the American League Division Series that will begin Oct. 5 at Minute Maid Park. The lefthander allowed one earned run and struck out eight in six innings of a game that was out of hand by the end of the fifth.
“I’ve been feeling a lot better and better, and I feel like to the point of being back in midseason form,” Keuchel said. “So, that’s good to feel and good for myself.”
The result clinched home-field advantage in the ALDS for the Astros (97-60), who most likely will play the Red Sox in their first-round matchup if they can’t make up two
games in five days on the AL-leading Indians. It also eliminated the Rangers (76-81) from contention for the Oct. 3 AL wild-card game, which probably will pit the Yankees and Twins.
With Tuesday’s performance, Keuchel improved his ERA to 2.90 in 23 starts, none against the Red Sox. His lone regular-season turn against Boston would come in Sunday’s regular-season finale at Fenway Park, but if the teams are set to play again next week, the Astros won’t provide their opponent a bonus look.
“I don’t know what the plan is at all right now, but I’m just going to continue (my routine) like it’s a start on Sunday,” Keuchel said. “Then if I have to adjust, I’ll adjust after Sunday and go from there.”
Inside-the-park HR
Keuchel surrendered five hits Tuesday. A run the Rangers scored in the first inning was unearned because of an error by second baseman Marwin Gonzalez. Their sixthinning run came on an inside-the-park home run by Delino DeShields that was made possible when center fielder Cameron Maybin was slow to get up after crashing into the wall on a deep fly ball.
Keuchel induced eight groundouts without a fly out. Of his 102 pitches, 63 were strikes. He induced 15 swings and misses.
“He’s in a good place,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “His command is coming back. I thought he threw a few breaking balls that were pretty good tonight, not all of them. And I liked how he bounced back after the first inning. They made him work. He had a high pitch count (29) after the first inning. He settled in, got a little better as the outing went on. The middle innings were really good.”
Run support was never an issue, as the Astros jumped on Cole Hamels for four runs in the first inning. They chased the Rangers’ best starter in the fourth inning. He was charged with six earned runs.
The Astros poured on more runs against Texas’ bullpen. They hung a five-spot on A.J. Griffin in the sixth, two on a second-deck blast by Brian McCann and another on a home run by Maybin. Maybin added a three-run shot, off Yohander Mendez in the sixth inning.
The 14 runs were the Astros’ most in a game against the Rangers.
Incredibly, they accomplished the feat on a day their best player, Jose Altuve, sat.
Offensive heroes
They had eight extrabase hits and nine hits with a runner in scoring position. Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa each had three hits and multiple RBIs.
“We’re having fun playing the game right now,” Bregman said. “I think that was one of the more fun games we’ve played all year.
“Everybody was loose, having a good time and the runs were piling up. We’re feeling good at the right time of the year.”
Keuchel cruised for most of his evening, bookending a unique season for the former Cy Young Award winner. Uncertainty surrounded him coming into the year in the wake of his poor 2016, which ended because of shoulder inflammation. He alleviated concerns about his performance quickly once the season began, though, by not allowing more than two runs in any of his six April starts.
Keuchel had a 1.69 ERA through eight starts. Then came the first of his two stints on the disabled list for what the Astros described as a pinched nerve in his neck. He missed a start, returned to make his next two and then experienced a recurrence that cost him the next eight weeks.
Uneven season
An All-Star in July despite his lengthy absence, Keuchel hasn’t matched his early-season production in the second half. Since his return from the DL on July 28, he has a 4.24 in 70 innings. He has trended positively recently, though. In five September starts, he had a 2.87 ERA in 311⁄3 innings. And October beckons. “When you see the scoreboard out there and you only see four teams playing,” Keuchel said, “it’s a good feeling to have.”