Houston lives to see another day
Astros avoid elimination with ALCS Game 4 win
Oct 14, 2020, 10:47 pm
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
George Springer celebrates with his teammates after a go-ahead homer
With the Astros having lost the first three games, an uphill battle presented itself to not only win the game to force another game but needed four straight to advance to the World Series. With the Rays carrying all the momentum into ALCS Game 4, Houston needed to get something going quick to shift things their way.
They would get another early spark from Jose Altuve, along with a strong start from Zack Greinke, to get into the win column in the ALCS. They make it a 3-1 series lead for the Rays, forcing a Game 5. Here is a quick recap of Game 4:
Final Score: Astros 4, Rays 3.
Series: TB leads 3-1.
Winning Pitcher: Zack Greinke.
Losing Pitcher: Tyler Glasnow.
Altuve brings in some early runs as Greinke has a solid start
For the 3rd time this #ALCS, José Altuve has homered in the 1st inning.
(MLB x @blueemu1) pic.twitter.com/ebnWoMm2Jg
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2020
For the third time this series, Jose Altuve would put the Astros ahead 1-0 in the first inning with a solo home run. This one was possibly the sweetest, changing the narrative off of his fielding miscues and back to his success at the plate. That success continued in his next at-bat in the bottom of the third, when he would get a rare (in this series) RBI with a runner in scoring position, a double to bring in Martin Maldonado, who worked a one-out walk earlier in the frame.
That put the Astros ahead 2-0, but the Rays would quickly respond in the top of the fourth against Zack Greinke, getting a two-run home run off the bat of Randy Arozarena to tie it up 2-2. Greinke would otherwise do well, pitching into the sixth when he would face some traffic with back-to-back one-out singles. Dusty Baker would come out to have a conversation with him, ultimately leaving him in, which proved to be the right call as he would make it through the inning. His final line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 HR, 93 P.
Zack with a K. #ALCS pic.twitter.com/eK0RQJkQM6
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2020
Astros force Game 5
Greinke would leave in line for the win, with that jam-escaping sixth inning taking place with a 4-2 lead. The two runs that had the Astros ahead came courtesy of George Springer, who would capitalize on a one-out single by Martin Maldonado by crushing a two-run go-ahead homer.
A lonnng #SpringerDinger for the lead.
(MLB x @blueemu1) pic.twitter.com/bDk7L5WU1y
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2020
Cristian Javier would take over on the mound in the top of the seventh and erased a two-out single for a scoreless inning. He kept going in the top of the eighth, a perfect inning with two strikeouts. He would go back to the mound in the top of the ninth to try and finish it off, but after a leadoff walk, Dusty Baker would bring in Ryan Pressly. Despite allowing a two-out RBI-double, he would get the save to wrap up the win for Houston. The Astros avoid elimination with the victory and force another game in the ALCS as they try to become the second team to come back from down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series.
Up Next: ALCS Game 5 will start a bit earlier on Thursday, with first pitch at 4:07 PM Central. Neither team has announced who will start on the mound as the Astros try to keep the series going.
The Houston Astros will go for the sweep Wednesday afternoon in Phoenix as they wrap up a three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With wins in the first two games of the series and three straight overall, the AL West-leading Astros are starting to find their rhythm again, and they’ll look to keep it going behind left-hander Brandon Walter.
Walter (1-3, 3.66 ERA) has been steady since joining the rotation, and he'll be tasked with keeping Arizona’s contact-heavy lineup in check. The Diamondbacks, sitting fourth in the NL West at 50-52, are hitting .253 as a team, fifth-best in the National League, but have struggled to string together wins at home, where they’re just 26-27.
Opposing Walter is right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who enters with a 10-6 record and 4.74 ERA. He’s capable of missing bats but can be vulnerable to power, something the Astros lineup will try to exploit as they look to post at least eight hits for the fourth straight game. A mark that has typically led to success this season (39-19 when they reach it).
Houston will again lean on veterans like Jose Altuve and the red-hot Victor Caratini, who’s 13-for-36 over his last 10 games. Brice Matthews and Christian Walker have also sparked the offense in recent days, while the bullpen continues to deliver under pressure.
For Arizona, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez have been the primary power threats of late, with Suárez clubbing eight home runs in his last 10 games. If the Diamondbacks want to avoid the sweep, they’ll need to capitalize on any early chances against Walter and match Houston’s timely hitting.
First pitch is set for 3:40 p.m. EDT.
Lineup takeaways
For the finale, you'll notice Cam Smith is not in the leadoff spot and playing right field. Smith gets the day off with Taylor Trammell hitting first and playing center field, followed by Victor Caratini, who is playing first base. Christian Walker is the DH and hitting third, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Brice Matthews (2B), Mauricio Dubon (SS), Cooper Hummel (LF), Chas McCormick (RF), and Shay Whitcomb (3B). Jose Altuve's name is nowhere to be found. It seems like manager Joe Espada is happy with the series win based on this lineup.
Last one on the road.
⚾️: 2:40 PM CDT | 12:40 PM MST
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM#BuiltForThis x @reliantenergy pic.twitter.com/A9VAhNhG4U
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 23, 2025
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -116, Diamondbacks -104; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
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