In many ways the Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays couldn’t be more different. Their contrasting styles will be on full display in American League Division Series which begins on Friday at Minute Maid Park. It showcases the 107-win Astros against the Rays, a team that has the lowest payroll in baseball. The Rays won the season series, 4-3, with Tampa Bay taking three of four at home to open the season, and Houston winning two of three at home in late August.
Game 5: Rays vs. Astros (Series tied 2-2)
- When: Wednesday, October 10th
- Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: FS1
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
All you need to do is look at the numbers to understand the dominance of the Astros starting rotation: Justin Verlander (21-6, 2.58 ERA, 0.80 WHIP), Gerrit Cole (20-5, 2.50, 0.90), Zack Greinke (18-5, 2.93, 0.98). Verlander reached 20 wins for the second time in his career and struck out 300 in a season for the first time. He led the Majors in WHIP (0.80) and opponents’ average (.172) in 223 innings and was a no-brainer to start Game 1. Cole gets the nod for Game 2, while Greinke will pitch on the road in Game 3 on Monday.
Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has been on a tear in every way the entire season. With a great chance to win the AL MVP, Bregman finished the regular season with 41 home runs, 112 RBIs and a 1.015 OPS. Second baseman José Altuve has really turned a corner in the second half to complete a season in which he had a .298/.353/.550 slash with 61 extra-base hits.
For the Rays, who went 96-66 during the regular season, it’s all about mixing and matching in the lineup and the bullpen. That’s a big reason they were able to beat the A’s, 5-1, in the AL Wild Card Game on Wednesday. After starting seven right-handed hitters against A’s left-hander Sean Manaea in the Wild Card Game, expect a different lineup against the Astros, who will start three consecutive right-handers. You’ll see a healthy number of left-handed options, which will create some interesting decisions.
While the Rays don’t have a ton of star power on the pitching staff, they’ve got a bunch of interesting options in both the rotation and the bullpen. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow will get the start in Game 1 even though he missed four months of the season due to a right forearm strain. He made four starts last month, giving up two runs in 12 1/3 innings (1.46 ERA). However, expect Tampa Bay’s bullpen to be ready to take over in the fourth or fifth inning as Glasnow works his way back to full strength. The bullpen’s 3.39 ERA since the Trade Deadline is the best in the AL and its 28.8 percent strikeout rate is the best in the Majors. The bullpen has done it with the likes of Emilio Pagán, Diego Castillo, Nick Anderson, Colin Poche, Chaz Roe and Oliver Drake.
Left-hander Blake Snell will get the start in Game 2 on Saturday, marking his postseason debut. He went 6-8 with a 4.29 ERA in 23 starts this season. The 26-year-old left-hander went 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA to win the 2018 AL Cy Young Award.
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