Another chance to put Oakland away
ALDS Game 4 Preview: A's vs. Astros
Although the Astros, who dropped ALDS Game 3 to the A's, won't finish the postseason a perfect 13-0 with sweeps of all four series, they are still in prime position to move on to the ALCS. They hold a 2-1 lead going into ALDS Game 4, needing just one more win to take the best-of-five. Here is what to look for in Thursday's matchup:
Game Facts
When: Thursday October 8th, 2:35 PM Central.
Where: Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, California.
TV: TBS.
Streaming: Watch TBS App.
Pitching Matchup: Frankie Montas vs. TBD.
Series: HOU leads 2-1.
Series Schedule
| Date & Time | Pitching Matchup | Home Team | |
| Game 1 | Astros 10, A's 5 | Lance McCullers Jr. (ND) vs. Chris Bassitt (ND) | A's |
| Game 2 | Astros 5, A's 2 | Framber Valdez (W) vs. Sean Manaea (L) | A's |
| Game 3 | A's 9, Astros 7 | Jesús Luzardo (ND) vs. Jose Urquidy (ND) | Astros |
| Game 4 | Thu 10/8, 2:35 PM | Frankie Montas vs. TBD | Astros |
| Game 5* | Fri 10/9, 2:35 PM | TBD vs. TBD | A's |
All games played at Dodger Stadium.
* If necessary
Game Storylines
Who will start on the mound for Houston?
With all the home runs and scoring in the first three games of this series, both teams feel the effects of using so many bullpen arms in these games happening on consecutive days instead of the ALDS's typical off-days. In fact, it sets up a precarious situation for Houston, who are waiting until Thursday morning on an update on Zack Greinke's status before they decide on their starter. If Greinke can pitch, obviously that presents the Astros their best shot, and they will put him out there.
If not, they have a couple of choices, most likely either Luis Garcia or Cristian Javier, who are the most rested and have started games this season. Garcia, who was not on the ALWC roster but is on the ALDS roster, faced this the A's in his start on September 9th. He held them scoreless over five innings in that game, leaving in line for the win before Houston's bullpen would allow the winning runs for Oakland. Javier pitched a scoreless inning out of the pen on Monday in Game 1, so he could likely get through a few innings if he's going well. No matter who is on the mound to start the game, Dusty Baker will probably be taking things inning by inning, and possibly batter by batter, depending on how the momentum shifts during the game.
The Astros need to get Montas out early
On the other side, Oakland has decided on Frankie Montas to be on the bump. He did not start in the ALWC series, instead coming in for two innings in ALWC Game 3 after Mike Fiers could not complete two frames. During the regular season, Montas started three times against the Astros, with a mixed bag of results.
On August 8th, he held Houston scoreless over seven innings in a win. On the 29th of that month, the Astros chased him out after just 3.1 innings and five runs in a seven-inning doubleheader game, handing him a loss. Then, on September 8th, he squeaked out a win after five two-run innings, with his offense bailing him out with runs against Zack Greinke in another part of a doubleheader. Having put up 22 runs so far, it's not so much a matter of if, but when, Houston will get hot at the plate again with the ball flying out of Dodger Stadium. Hopefully for them, though, it comes early against Montas so they can get into a heavily-used Oakland bullpen sooner rather than later.
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
