Astros hope to conquer Red Sox once again
After the Red Sox secured an American League Championship Series berth with a nail-biting win over the Yankees in Game 4 of the Division Series on Tuesday, they returned to Boston to prepare for a best-of-seven set with an Astros club that swept the Indians in their first-round matchup.
The Red Sox finished the regular season with an MLB-best 108-54 record, but they face a tough draw in the ALCS against a Houston club that went 103-59, the league’s second-best mark, after winning the World Series in 2017.
Houston defeated Boston in four games in the ALDS last season. Here’s a look at this year’s series.
For starters
Game 1, Saturday – Justin Verlander (16-9, 2.52 ERA during the season) vs. Chris Sale (12-4, 2.11), 8:09 p.m. ET
Game 2, Sunday – Gerrit Cole (15-5, 2.88) vs. David Price (16-7, 3.58), 7:09 p.m. ET
Game 3, Tuesday – Rick Porcello (17-7, 4.28) vs. TBA, 5:09 p.m. ET
Game 4, Wednesday – TBA vs. TBA, 8:39 p.m. ET
Game 5 (if nec.), Thursday – TBA vs. TBA, 8:09 p.m. ET
Game 6 (if nec.), Saturday – TBA vs. TBA, time TBD
Game 7 (if nec.), Sunday – TBA vs. TBA, 7:39 p.m. ET
27 outs
Though these same clubs met in the ALDS just last year and the Astros took a convincing victory, the 2018 version of their matchup looks to be a fairer fight after the Red Sox blitzed through the regular season and beat up on the 100-win Yankees in the divisional series.
For Boston, the series represents its first time reaching the LCS since a championship run in 2013. Amazingly, the only holdovers from the 2013 postseason roster likely to appear in the ALCS are shortstop Xander Bogaerts and reliever Brandon Workman.
The Sox were able to finish off the Yankees in four games in their ALDS, sparing ace Chris Sale the need for a Game 5 start that would’ve held him out of the first game in this series. The lanky lefty appeared in relief on his throw day on Tuesday, dominating Yankees hitters in a scoreless eighth. He’ll square off with Justin Verlander on Saturday in a matchup of two of the league’s most bankable aces, and two pitchers who looked like the likely top finishers for the AL Cy Young Award at midseason — before Sale spent most of August on the disabled list and Rays lefty Blake Snell pitched his way into the conversation.
The Astros are looking to defend their 2017 title with a similar cast of characters, plus the notable addition of Game 2 starter Gerrit Cole. This year’s Astros showed no signs whatsoever of any World Series hangover, winning 20 of their first 30 games in the regular season. They hit a cold stretch around the All-Star break but went 21-6 in September to outlast the Athletics and Mariners in a surprisingly competitive division.