Baseball pennant drive hits league championship series
ASTROS VS. RAYS
The Astros and Rays are vying for the AL title; the Braves and Dodgers meet in the NL.
SAN DIEGO – Well, that sure didn’t take long.
It was less than an hour after the Rays knocked off the Yankees to advance to the American League Championship Series when Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi trolled the Astros by first knocking over a recycling bin in the dugout, and then stomping on it, while exhaling smoke into the air from his cigar.
It’s the Astros and Rays again in a rematch of last year’s AL Division Series when the Astros prevailed 3-2, only there’s an entirely different feeling.
The Rays are more talented, more confident, have a swagger and are playing with a trash-can-sized chip on their shoulder, playing the Astros for the first time in the wake of their 2017 cheating scandal that was exposed in January.
The Astros, who limped into the postseason with a 29-31 record, also are playing with an edge after beating the Athletics and Twins – but this time around they don’t have Justin Verlander or Gerrit Cole.
This is the Astros’ fourth consecutive trip to the ALCS, with two pennants and a World Series title since 2017. But on paper, it’s their least talented team.
“I know a lot of people are mad,” Astros shortstop Carlos Correa said. “I know a lot of people don’t want to see us here. … But we’re not done yet.” This is the Rays’ second ALCS trip. “What makes us good is the mentality, how easy it is to come here to play,” Rays starter Tyler Glasnow said. “So many of the players here are guys that have been given a chance, and everyone just comes out and plays their heart out. They can do what they do with lineups and stuff because everyone is just so on board with winning.”
Three things to watch
1. Can the Astros’ thin pitching staff survive (potentially) seven games in seven days? The Astros leaned heavily on relievers Christian Javier, Blake Taylor, Enoli Paredes and Ryan Pressly during the first two rounds, but manager Dusty Baker must find other relievers who can fit into his circle of trust with no days off. They had one of only three bullpens that walked at least five hitters per nine innings in the regular season. Baker also likely won’t have Javier at his disposal out of the bullpen every day since he likely will be needed to start a game. There’s also concern about veteran Zack Greinke’s health. He insists that he’ll be fine.
2. Will the Astros’ offense stay hot? Carlos Correa was unreal in the ALDS against Oakland, hitting .500 with three homers and 11 RBI and a monstrous 1.754 OPS. Veteran Michael Brantley had three hits, two homers and three RBI in their clinching victory and batted .368 with an 1.105 OPS in the Division Series. Jose Altuve, who hit just .219 with a woeful .629 OPS – the ninth lowest among all qualified hitters – suddenly is back, hitting .400 with two homers and a 1.326 OPS in the Division Series. So how in the world did the Astros look so bad in the regular season and flip the switch in the postseason? “Our team understand that in the playoffs,’’ George Springer said, “you start over. You start fresh. And you go from there.’’
3. The Rays’ unorthodox pitching strategy worked against the Yankees. Can they pull it off again? This is a team that used 13 pitchers to close games this season and used their most regular closer Nick Anderson in the
third inning of Game 5 against the Yankees. “It’s kind of like the Rays’ way, to switch things up, do something a little different,” Anderson said. “You know everybody’s on board with everything, everybody knows anything could happen.”
Prediction
Astros in 6.