Four more wins and Houston is in the World Series again
ALCS Game 1 Preview: Astros vs. Rays
Oct 10, 2020, 8:16 pm
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
Astros Carlos Correa, George Springer, and Kyle Tucker
The Houston Astros continue to be one of the underdog stories of the 2020 postseason. First, they went to Minnesota with the Twins favored to give them an early exit. Instead, Houston did enough to win and move on in straight games. Then, they went to Dodger Stadium, with arguably even less of a chance to win three-of-five against the A's who dominated them in the regular season.
Yet, the Astros' bats roared to their typical postseason form, outslugging Oakland to win in four games. That earns them a spot in MLB's final four, the championship series, with Houston and the Tampa Bay Rays going into a best-of-seven to see who will represent the American League in the 2020 World Series against the winner of the NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. Here are some quick facts about ALCS Game 1 that will take place Sunday night:
Game Facts
When: Sunday, October 11th, 6:37 PM Central.
Where: Petco Park - San Diego, California.
TV: TBS.
Streaming: Watch TBS App.
Pitching Matchup: Framber Valdez vs. Blake Snell.
Series: tied 0-0.
Series Schedule
| Date & Time (Central) | Pitching Matchup | Home Team | |
| Game 1 | Sun 10/11, 6:37 PM | Framber Valdez vs. Blake Snell | Rays |
| Game 2 | Mon 10/12, 3:07 PM | Lance McCullers Jr. vs. TBD | Rays |
| Game 3 | Tue 10/13, TBD | TBD vs. TBD | Astros |
| Game 4 | Wed 10/14, TBD | TBD vs. TBD | Astros |
| Game 5* | Thu 10/15, TBD | TBD vs. TBD | Astros |
| Game 6* | Fri 10/16, TBD | TBD vs. TBD | Rays |
| Game 7* | Sat 10/17, TBD | TBD vs. TBD | Rays |
All games played at Petco Park.
* If necessary
Game Storylines
A mental role reversal
As mentioned before, the Astros entered the ALDS having to overcome the mental challenge of facing the team that succeeded so well against them in the regular season. In the ALCS, they have the opportunity to switch roles. It was just last year in the ALDS that Houston eliminated the Rays from the playoffs, taking the series 3-2 in a Game 5 win. They faced Tampa Bay's starter for Game 1, Blake Snell, in Game 2 of that series from Minute Maid Park. That went down as a low-scoring game, with Snell ultimately earning the loss by allowing the first run of the game, an Alex Bregman home run, giving the Astros the lead they'd ride to the end.
The 2020 MLB season is an entirely different animal. Still, coming off the ALDS's impressive offensive performance, paired with the results from 2019, Houston could ride into the series with some confidence. On the flip side, the Rays have had the chance to play in Petco Park, where all these ALCS games will take place, over their last five games, while we will wait and see of Houston's success at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles will travel down California's coast to San Diego.
Another war of attrition
As we saw across the divisional series, having such high-leverage games on consecutive days is a tricky path to navigate for a manager trying to have the best, rested arms to turn to in given situations. That benefited Houston in their series against the A's, who used their bats to put stress on the strong Oakland bullpen throughout the series. They faced the same issue themselves, though, especially at the start with their Game 1 starter, Lance McCullers Jr., going just four innings.
The ALCS will be even harder to deal with, as it could be a potential seven-day, seven-game slog of games with no days off like in a typical playoff schedule. Houston has a leg up in this area, having finished their ALDS in four games, a day earlier than Tampa Bay. That extra day of rest for their pitching could prove pivotal in this series, as will an extra arm on the roster, which Dusty Baker has stated is likely to happen at the expense of a position player this round. Another positive for the Astros, they will lead the series off with Framber Valdez, who has been their best pitcher this season and was able to throw seven innings in his ALDS start, a godsend for a bullpen that will likely be called upon frequently in the next week.
Be sure to check SportsMap after the final out for an in-depth recap of the game, and follow me on Twitter for updates and reactions throughout each playoff game: @ChrisCampise
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NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
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C.J. Stroud faced criticism in Houston's last few games as the Texans hit a rough patch after losing just two of their first eight games.
But the second-year quarterback remained confident and his strong performance last Sunday helped the Texans (8-5) to a 23-20 win over the Jaguars to enter their bye with a two-game lead atop the AFC South.
“When he is leading and playing the way he is playing, our entire team feeds off of him,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I am excited for his second year. I think he is showing a ton of growth, he is in a really great spot for us physically, mentally. I really love where he is and I am excited to see how he comes back after the break.”
Stroud threw for 242 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville to leave him ranked fourth in the NFL with 3,117 yards passing this season. That game came after he threw two interceptions in a 32-27 loss to Tennessee a week before for the team’s third loss in four games.
Those two interceptions brought his season total to nine, which are four more than he threw in 15 games a rookie. But the Texans aren’t worried about that statistic and believe he has grown in his second year.
“He’s made a lot of progress,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “There are some plays, like all of our players, that we probably wish he could have back, but happy he’s our quarterback, happy with what he brings to the table. ... Wouldn’t want anyone else leading this team.”
The Texans are in position to win their division for a second straight season despite dealing with several significant injuries on offense. Running back Joe Mixon missed three games early with an ankle injury and leading receiver Nico Collins was sidelined for five games with a hamstring injury.
They also lost four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for the season when tore an ACL in Week 8.
Mixon leads the team with 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and has added four touchdown receptions. His work in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati has helped the team deal with those significant injuries to the receiving corps.
Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing in seven games.
Stroud has continually raved about Mixon’s contributions on and off the field.
“He’s a servant, a helper,” Stroud said. “That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is.”
While Mixon has been the team’s most important new acquisition on offense, Danielle Hunter has been Houston’s new defensive star. The defensive end spent his first eight seasons in Minnesota before joining the Texans this year.
He has helped Houston lead the NFL with 84 tackles for loss after piling up 15 this season, which is tied for third most in the league. He also leads the Texans with 10½ sacks to help them rank second with 42.
Hunter been a great addition to a team that already had defensive end Will Anderson Jr., last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson ranks second to Hunter on the team with 13 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.
Ryans said this week’s break is much needed for a team that opened the preseason on Aug. 1 in the Hall of Fame game.
“It’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time.”
The Texans need to recharge this week with a brutal stretch of three games in 10 days when they return from their bye. Houston hosts Miami on Dec. 15 before a trip to Kansas City on Dec. 21 and a visit from the Ravens on Christmas Day.
“It’s Christmas and all that, but we can’t worry about that. All we can do is focus on Miami,” Caserio said. “And then when we get through the Miami game, then we kind of turn the page to the next. ... We’re either going to earn it or we’re not. Not to oversimplify it, but that’s the truth.”
The Texans will play those game without starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after he received a three-game suspension for his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.
Al-Shaair will be eligible to return for Houston’s regular-season finale against Tennessee.