GAME #159, HOUSTON ASTROS AT BOSTON RED SOX

Started by Bear, September 28, 2017, 12:44:57 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Bear

ASTROS V RED SOX

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2017, 7 PM AT FENWAY PARK

TV:  NESN, MLBN, (OUT-OF-MARKET ONLY), ATT SPORTS NET-SW

HOUSTON, (98-60).....................................................................................BOSTON, (92-66)

HOUSTON:

BRAD PEACOCK, RHP, 12-2, 2.98 ERA, 159K

Peacock's 12 wins surpass his career total of 11 entering the season.  After beginning
the season in the bullpen, Peacock has flourished as a starter, going 9-2 with a 3.21 ERA
with 133 strikeouts in 106 2/3 innings pitched.

BOSTON:

EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ, LHP, 6-6, 3.91 ERA, 148K

The lefty has caught fire down the stretch.  In September, Rodriguez is 2-1 with a 1.78
ERA in four starts.  At Fenway Park this season, Rodrigez is 2-1 with a 3.81 ERA.  He has
faced the Astros once in his career.

Astros, Red Sox open possible ALDS preview

Ian Browne

The Astros and Red Sox could be on a collision course to meet in next week's American League Division Series, which makes their season-ending series at Fenway Park, which begins Thursday night, an intriguing and unique appetizer.

Both teams are still chasing postseason positioning -- the Astros are on the Indians' heels for best record in the AL, and the Red Sox are trying to hold off the Yankees in the AL East -- but will be cognizant of showing too many cards, especially in terms of pitching.

The Red Sox, with a magic number of two in the division, can clinch Thursday night with a win over the Astros and a loss by the Yankees against the Rays.

There will be no shortage of subplots during the four days at Fenway between two teams that have been among the best in the AL all season.

"Two things are going on with that," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.

"One, we've now inched pretty close to the Indians to get the No. 1 seed, and the AL East is still going. They're going to battle as well. It's an intriguing matchup, because I know everybody has positioned us to play the Red Sox in the first round, and how are we going to use the pitching and players?

"We all need to win games for different reasons. Part of that is the playoff structure. Part of that is just momentum. You want guys to play well and play every day, and there's a gap coming up in some off-days. It will probably be a day-by-day decision for me and [Red Sox manager] John [Farrell] on what to do, how to do it, who to match up and who to play."

At worst, the Astros will go into the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the AL. No matter which seed they wind up with, they will host Game 1 of the ALDS presented by Doosan on Oct. 5. Houston would play the winner of the AL Wild Card game as the No. 1 seed and the winner of the AL East as the No. 2 seed.

The Astros are one game back of the Indians for the AL's best record, and if the two teams end the season with an identical record, Cleveland would get the No. 1 seed since the Tribe owns the tiebreaker vs. Houston.

For the Red Sox, there is a little more urgency, because they still need to win the division to secure the No. 3 seed and avoid having to play in the AL Wild Card Game. If Boston winds up in a tie with the Yankees for the AL East, they would have to play a tiebreaking game in New York on Monday. In that scenario, the winner would be the No. 3 seed and the loser would play in the Wild Card Game.

This would be just the fourth time in history two teams that met in the final series of the regular season also faced off for the start of the postseason. The last time it happened was 2013, when the Pirates swept the Reds in the final weekend of the season and then defeated Cincinnati in the NL Wild Card Game.

"I think it just adds a lot of attraction and attention to a lot of things that are meaningful in the final four games," said Farrell. "Given what's playing out for best record, home field and divisional [races], that's what makes September unique in some ways and really exciting in others. We're fortunate to be right in the midst of it."

Astros right-hander Brad Peacock (12-2, 2.98 ERA), a likely starter in the ALDS, will start Thursday against left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (6-6, 3.91 ERA) of the Red Sox. After beginning the season in the bullpen, Peacock has flourished as a starter, going 9-2 with a 3.21 ERA with 133 strikeouts in 106 2/3 innings.

Rodriguez has caught fire in September, posting a 1.78 ERA in four starts, and he can use Thursday's start as an opportunity to lock down a rotation spot in the ALDS.

The last time the Red Sox and Astros played each other was June 16-18, when Boston took two out of three in Houston.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS GAME

• Fenway fans will get their first look this season at AL MVP candidate Jose Altuve. The second baseman collected his 200th hit of the season Wednesday vs. the Rangers, becoming the first player to have at least 200 hits for four years in a row since Ichiro Suzuki reeled off 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons (2001-10).

• The Red Sox have won 14 of 18 games all-time against the Astros at Fenway Park.

• Peacock's 20.3-percent called-strike rate as a starter ranks sixth in the Majors this season (minimum 1,500 pitches). He has gotten a called strike 28 percent of the time with his four-seam fastball, which ranks second among starters (minimum 300 four-seamers).

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170927256414268/astros-red-sox-open-possible-alds-preview/?game_pk=492478

Bear


Bear

#2
Red Sox vs HOU.

Bogaerts SS,
Pedroia 2B,
Benintendi LF,
Betts RF,
Moreland 1B,
Ramirez DH,
Devers 3B,
Vázquez C,
Bradley Jr. CF,

Rodriguez.

Bear

THURSDAY NIGHTS:

Meanwhile, the yankees are facing Faria, 5-4 of the Rays with
Gray who is 10-11. I don't believe we're going to get any help here.

Bill-806

The E-Rod against the Peacock ???   Go E-rod !!! thumb_u rofl

longgame

Quote from: Bill-806 on September 28, 2017, 05:11:16 AM
The E-Rod against the Peacock ???   Go E-rod !!! thumb_u rofl

Let's just hope E-Rod doesn't think "well all the high paid guys give up lots of runs early....."

Rob from Mass

SERIES PREVIEW
Red Sox vs. Astros Series Preview


A look ahead to the final series of the regular season
by Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins  Sep 28, 2017, 10:30am EDT


The opponent in one sentence

The Astros have been one of the best teams in all of baseball from the start of the year and throughout the season because of a dynamic offense and a strong pitching staff.

Record
98-60

Head-to-Head Record
Red Sox 2, Astros 1

Trend
Up. The Astros are currently in a fight with the Indians for the top seed in the American League playoffs and have been doing their part of late to achieve their goal. They’ve won 12 of their last 15 games and are coming off a dominant sweep of the Rangers in which they scored at least 10 runs in each game while never allowing more than three. Unfortunately for them, Cleveland has been just as hot.

Pitching Matchups
9/28: Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Brad Peacock, 7:10 PM ET

This is a fairly big start for Rodriguez, who is looking to solidify his spot in the Red Sox playoff rotation. Granted, it would seem almost certain he’s already done enough to this point, but another strong start wouldn’t hurt. He’s been noticeably different over his last few starts, and that has been a very good thing. The key for Rodriguez has always been mixing his pitches and that will continue to be the case in this series.


Peacock is starting on a regular basis for the first time since 2014, and he’s looking much better than we’ve ever seen him. The righty has been outstanding in the Astros rotation, pitching to a 2.98 ERA with over 11 strikeouts per nine innings. It should be noted that 13 of his 33 appearances have come out of the bullpen, but he’s been in the rotation since late-May and is on fire right now. Over his last six starts, the righty has a 2.10 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 11 walks in 34 1⁄3 innings. Peacock features a four-seam and two-seam fastball, both in the low-to-mid-90s, to go with a slider that has been getting him whiffs all year.

9/29: Doug Fister vs. Charlie Morton, 7:10 PM ET

While Thursday is an important one for Rodriguez, Friday is much more important for Fister. With Rick Porcello failing to take control of the fourth rotation spot, the door is open for Doug Fister to potentially get a start in an ALDS. Obviously, things have gone downhill for the veteran righty of late, but he looked better in his last start. He was still a bit too hittable, but the bar is fairly low for the fourth rotation spot at the moment.

Like Peacock, Morton is a veteran righty who is around for a while but is looking as strong as ever in 2017. His strikeout rate has risen considerably from his career norms, going from a guy who generally strikes out around six or seven batters per nine to one who is striking out over ten. Combining that with an ability to induce ground balls and keep the ball in the yard, he’s pitched to a 3.63 ERA over 24 starts. Morton leans heavily on a mid-90s two-seamer along with a mid-90s four-seamer, a cutter and a changeup.

9/30: Drew Pomeranz vs. Lance McCullers, 1:10 PM ET

These last two starts are question marks for the Red Sox. If they are able to clinch the division over the next two days â€" something that can be done with some combination of two Red Sox wins and Yankees losses â€" then they can give Pomeranz and Chris Sale some rest. My guess would be, if Pomeranz doesn’t make this start, they’ll give it to Hector Velazquez.


McCullers is one of the more intriguing young pitchers in the game, though he hasn’t really been able to put it together on a consistent basis. On the one hand, he has legitimate swing-and-miss stuff. On the other hand, he struggles with command and that leads to run totals that doesn’t quite reflect his peripherals. He’s also battled injury this year, so the Astros have limited his workload of late. McCullers features a four-seamer and a two-seamer, both in the mid-90s, along with a curveball and a changeup.

10/1: Chris Sale vs. Collin McHugh, 3:05 PM ET

Like with Pomeranz, the Red Sox would like to avoid Sale making this start. As long as they are able to clinch the division, I would guess the Red Sox will either give this start to Roenis Elias or they will make it a bullpen game.

McHugh missed the majority of the season due to injury, but he’s been solid since returning. His ERA has been better than his peripherals, but he gets a solid number of strikeouts and his command is in check most games. McHugh will never blow anyone away, but he’s the kind of consistent, solid starter contending teams need. He features a low-90s fastball, a curveball and a slider.

Old Friends

Josh Reddick was once one of the more promising prospects in the Red Sox organization, but was dealt to Oakland back before the 2012 season in the Andrew Bailey trade. He hasn’t turned into a star by any means, but he’s been outstanding this season for the Astros thanks to great contact skills and solid power. He’s been hurt for a few days, though, and he may not be playing this weekend in Boston.

Notable Hitters

Jose Altuve is the best player on the Astros and could be the front-runner in the MVP race. The small second baseman is an incredible player with legitimate power, great speed, strong contact skills and a good glove at second base. In short, he’s good at just about everything.

Altuve is the face of the Astros, but Carlos Correa is a close second behind him. The former first overall pick missed some time in the middle of the year with injury, but when he’s been healthy he’s provided Houston with strong defense at shortstop along with big-time power and on-base skills. Perhaps no team is as well-suited up the middle for years to come.


Finshing up the up-the-middle combination for Houston is George Springer, the Astros center fielder. A UConn product and Matt Barnes’ college teammate, Springer does everything at the plate. The Astros are a strong offensive team, if you couldn’t tell.

Marwin Gonzalez has been a huge breakout for the Astros this year in left field, showing off surprising power and strong contact skills.

Alex Bregman has been an under-the-radar young player, likely because he’s simply good at everything at the plate without having a standout trait.

Carlos Beltran was supposed to be the big free agent acquisition for the Astros, but he’s had a disappointing year thanks to a surprising lack of power and solid contact in general.

Brian McCann and Evan Gattis form the Astros catching tandem and they provide big power but not a ton of on-base ability.

Yulieski Gurriel is a former Cuban baseball star who disappointed in 2016 but has come back this year with solid production from third base for the Astros.

Bullpen Snapshot

Ken Giles serves as the Astros closer and while he’s not quite elite he is in the next tier down with a chance to jump up at some point in his career. He gets a ton of strikeouts and does a good job of keeping the ball in the yard. His biggest issue is his command, which can lead to bad streaks with lots of walks and line drives.

The Red Sox keep giving us reasons to believe

Chris Devenski is the second best reliever in Houston’s bullpen. A surprising breakout in 2016, he hasn’t taken a step back this year thanks to a devastating changeup that gets him a ton of strikeouts.

Joe Musgrove came up as a starting pitching prospect but converted to the bullpen in the middle of this year and has looked much better in this role, working his way into a high-leverage role.

The one big weakness on Houston’s roster is a lack of a reliable left-handed reliever. Tony Sipp and Francisco Liriano are their primary options right now and both have significant command problems.

Injuries
Jake Marisnick has been a big part of Houston’s outfield this year with big power to hide his big strikeout issues but has been out with a thumb injury since mid-September.

Brady Rodgers was a depth starter who spent most of his time in Triple-A, but he underwent Tommy John surgery at the start of September.

Jandel Gustave has the potential to be a solid reliever in this league but he underwent elbow surgery in April and has missed essentially the whole season.

Weather Forecast

It should be a solid weekend in Boston. The humidity is finally breaking, and weather should be more September-like. The one questionable day will be Saturday. There are showers in the forecast all afternoon and it wouldn’t be surprising if that game gets significantly delayed. They should be able to play at some point that day, though.

https://www.overthemonster.com/2017/9/28/16378296/red-sox-astros-series-preview

longgame

If Pom or Sale pitches it's bad news.  In the meantime, the Sox can help themselves a lot by beating up on Houston and then meeting them in the ALDS rather than Cleveland. 

Bill-806

Quote from: longgame on September 28, 2017, 01:04:14 PM
If Pom or Sale pitches it's bad news.  In the meantime, the Sox can help themselves a lot by beating up on Houston and then meeting them in the ALDS rather than Cleveland.
As  DAD would say,  "SON,  the way that we have played this year, there is no reason to expect positive results at all, rather it could be very painful" !!! iono slap rofl

SeaBeachFred

Quote from: Bear on September 28, 2017, 01:05:31 AM
Red Sox vs HOU.

Bogaerts SS,
Pedroia 2B,
Benintendi LF,
Betts RF,
Moreland 1B,
Ramirez DH,
Devers 3B,
Vázquez C,
Bradley Jr. CF,

Rodriguez.

If E-Rod can pitch a good game tonight this lineup could do the job just like it did last night.  We need a combo of two to take the  AL East and the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned.  These next four games will be a test for the Red Sox and we have to pass that test.

Bear

This is a good lineup and yes, please let us end it tonight.
Not sure the yankees will lose though.

Bill-806

Quote from: Bear on September 28, 2017, 03:54:32 PM
This is a good lineup and yes, please let us end it tonight.
Not sure the yankees will lose though.
This is your/our POST SEASON lineup, lets see what they do tonight !!! iono rofl thumb_u

ipot

Houston is playing for home field advantage.  Peacock is...well....very flipping good. 

Outside of a W, I really hope E-Rod continues his good pitching streak.  I gave up on him in mid-season, but he's showing signs of the command of his pitches and the promise he had when he first broke into the majors.  :-X
"Baseball is simple. All you do is sit on your butt, spit tobacco and nod at the stupid things your manager says."
--Bill 'Spaceman' Lee

BoSoxFanNY

Houston HAS home field advantage in the first round.
(Although they may want to best Cleveland.)

E Rod gave up 3 runs in the top of the first inning.
UGHHHHH

AND the Yankees are ahead of the Rays 2 - 1 in the bottom
of the first inning.
UGHHHHHH

longgame

This is awful night after night.  5-0.  Game over. 

The Astros may want to take it easy on us though.  Let us get through and they can coast through the first round.

God this team is pathetic.   They must have to keep multiple pairs of pants on hand in the locker room the way these guys piss their pants under pressure.