KEYS TO VICTORY
Forcing a Game 7 will come down to these critical keys for Astros
Nov 2, 2021, 9:54 am
Luis Garcia will start Game 6 on short rest. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Astros back Garcia to end three-game skid with shutout win over Twins
After falling behind 4-0 in Game 5 of the World Series, the Astros bounced back to defeat the Braves 9-5 and force a Game 6 back in Texas Tuesday night.
Houston still trails Atlanta 3-2 in the series, but a little home cooking can be just what this Astros team needs to stay alive.
A lot of things need to go right for Houston to obtain their second Commissioner's Trophy in five years including pitching, hitting and some hope.
Wake up certain bats
The Astros as a team have hit a combined .231 in the World Series. This needs to change if they want to force a Game 7 and certain bats need to improve. Houston is lacking in the home run department as well, with Jose Altuve being the lone player to hit both homers for this Astros team.
Certain hitters have yet to find their groove this series, such as Alex Bregman and ALCS MVP Yordan Alvarez. Astros catcher Martin Maldonado has as many hits as both Bregman and Alvarez combined.
No disrespect to the Gold Glove caliber catcher, but he shouldn't be ahead of these two sluggers in any hitting category.
Manager Dusty Baker moved Bregman down in the lineup to the seven spot for Game 5 and it seemed to work as the third baseman got only his second hit of the series.
As for Alvarez, it can be assumed he will remain the cleanup hitter in this batting order, as his bat when right is too valuable to drop any further.
If the Astros can get these two guys going at the plate against Atlanta pitchers Max Fried Game 6 and potentially Ian Anderson for Game 7, Houston should have little to no issues staying in these contests and becoming a tough out for the Braves.
Pitching is key
It's not a stretch to say this pitching staff has been taxed.
Jose Urquidy has been the only pitcher to throw for more than five innings in a game.
Framber Valdez and Zack Greinke went as long as they could, but Houston needed the bullpen to finish out all three of their combined starts.
Luis Garcia is slated to take the mound Tuesday night on three days rest, and the question is which version of the rookie pitcher will we see.
The 24-year-old's postseason didn't get off to a great start when he was rocked by both the White Sox in the ALDS and his first appearance against Red Sox in the previous series.
Garcia did bounce back and had his best outing of the playoffs against Boston in Game 6 of the ALCS.
He pitched decently Game 3 of the World Series in which he allowed a single run in 3.2 innings of work.
If the Astros want to force a Game 7 Wednesday night, Garcia needs to take the mound with confidence and pitch a little deeper into the game.
Assuming he can last at least four innings on the mound, the bullpen could be in great shape to closeout the game if needed. And speaking of which.
The bullpen stays strong
One of the best attributes of this Astros team as of late has been their bullpen. With the exception of Cristian Javier, all of Houston's late inning arms have an ERA of 3 or lower.
That's in large part due to Baker's management of the pitchers he uses late in games.
The majority of runs surrendered by Astros' pitching has been from their starters and not relievers.
The bullpen has bent but not broken this postseason, thus giving Houston opportunities to come back late in some games.
If the Astros get some much-needed improvements from certain hitters, Luis Garcia and the bullpen pitch well, there is no reason not to expect Houston to force a Game 7.
The NFL playoffs are finally here, and the Texans will kick off the postseason by hosting the LA Chargers this Saturday at NRG.
And while the Texans are only 3 point underdogs, the national media is making it seem like Houston has no chance against Justin Herbert and company.
ESPN's Rex Ryan has gone as far as calling the Texans a "bye" week for the Chargers, giving the team no chance to win despite playing at home.
However, the Texans are no stranger to this situation, as they were given little chance to win against the Browns in last year's Wild Card game. And we know how that ended, with the Texans thrashing the Browns 45-14.
It's certainly fair to predict the Chargers will come away with a win this Saturday, they have been playing much better football than Houston in recent weeks.
But it's important to remember that home underdogs have performed well in the Wild Card round. In fact, home underdogs are 16-14 all-time in the Wild Card playoffs, and both home underdogs won last year (Texans, Buccaneers).
Speaking of last year, many credit the Texans defense for securing the win over Cleveland, with two pick sixes in the second half helping to seal the deal.
But the real reason Houston won the game was because of CJ Stroud and the offense. Stroud threw 3 touchdowns before halftime and the team was leading 24-14 with six minutes left in the third quarter. That's when the defense tacked on two interceptions for touchdowns and put the game out of reach. Stroud and the offense also went on to score another TD on a Devin Singletary run.
If Stroud and the offense didn't put so much pressure on Joe Flacco and the Cleveland offense to score, he may not have forced those passes that were picked off.
Now, many will point to the Chargers having the best defense (points allowed) this season, but it's worth noting the Browns had the number one defense (yards allowed) last year as well.
Bulls on Parade
Houston's defense will have its hands full against a strong rushing attack led by JK Dobbins. And Justin Herbert has been terrific this season, spreading the ball around to his top two targets, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston.
Fortunately for the Texans, they are extremely healthy on defense this week. While Jimmy Ward and Jalen Pitre are out for the year, we'll finally get to see linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Christian Harris play together for the first time this season.
The defensive line is expected to be at full strength as well, keep in mind Jonathan Greenard was injured and unable to play against the Browns last year.
Outlook on offense
We should see the best possible version of the offensive line this Saturday. We're all aware how many hits Stroud has taken due to poor o-line play. But with Tytus Howard and left guard and Juice Scruggs at right guard, Stroud should have more time to get the passing game going, featuring Nico Collins.
Speaking of the receivers, it's pretty amazing that this receiver group is almost identical to last year's in the Wild Card round. Stroud didn't have Stefon Diggs (on the Bills) or Tank Dell (injured) to throw to last year, either. But he does have one big addition in Joe Mixon this year. Hopefully, they can get Mixon involved in the passing game, and the shuffling of the o-line provides Mixon with some holes to run through.
X-factor
At least there's a possibility newly acquired receiver Diontae Johnson could provide a spark to the offense. Last year John Metchie and Robert Woods were the main targets besides Collins and Dalton Schultz.
What does Vegas think?
The Chargers are favored by 3 and the total is set at 42.5 points
Don't miss the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap previews this week's big game!