Gerrit Cole will face his toughest challenge yet
Astros playoff report presented by APG&E: ALCS Game 3 Preview
Oct 14, 2019, 8:56 pm
Gerrit Cole will face his toughest challenge yet
Houston's hitters will look to back up Gerrit Cole in Game 3
The Astros made a big statement in Game 2 by eliminating the 7-0 shutout loss in Game 1 from their memory and by battling the Yankees into extra innings for an eventual 3-2 walk-off win off the bat of Carlos Correa. However, the Yankees still accomplished a challenging road split in Houston, setting themselves up to take advantage in a big way if they can perform well in their home stadium for the next three games.
Houston will have the advantage on the mound for Tuesday's Game 3, as they hand the ball to the electric Gerrit Cole who has been nearly unstoppable this season including two dominant starts in the ALDS. They will need their bats to back him up and build on their success of Game 2 to come out with a 2-1 advantage in the series. Here is a quick look at Tuesday's Game 3:
When: Tuesday, 3:08 p.m Central.
Where: Yankee Stadium - The Bronx, New York.
TV: FS1.
Streaming: Fox Sports App.
Pitching matchup: Gerrit Cole vs. Luis Severino.
Series: tied 1-1.
Date & Time (Central) | Location | Pitching matchup | |
Game 1 | Yankees 7, Astros 0 | Minute Maid Park, Houston TX | Greinke (L) vs Tanaka (W) |
Game 2 | Astros 3, Yankees 2 (11 innings) | Minute Maid Park, Houston TX | Verlander (ND) vs Paxton (ND) |
Game 3 | Tuesday 10/15, 3:08 PM | Yankee Stadium, Bronx NY | Cole vs Severino |
Game 4 | Wednesday 10/16, 7:08 PM | Yankee Stadium, Bronx NY | TBD vs TBD |
Game 5 | Thursday 10/17, 7:08 PM | Yankee Stadium, Bronx NY | TBD vs TBD |
Game 6* | Saturday 10/19, 3:08 PM | Minute Maid Park, Houston TX | TBD vs TBD |
Game 7* | Sunday 10/20, 6:38 PM | Minute Maid Park, Houston TX | TBD vs TBD |
* If necessary
+ Projected Starters
After his ALDS Game 5 victory, Gerrit Cole improved to 2-0 this postseason with 25 strikeouts and a 0.57 ERA and matching WHIP. He's been dominant and overpowered opponents for most of the year, but he has turned it up a notch since August where he has gone on his run of eleven straight starts with double-digit strikeouts, while allowing more than two runs just once over that span while allowing one or less in eight of those eleven. Also, during that stretch, he has reliably gone deep into games, reaching at least the seventh inning seven times.
Cole faced these Yankees, albeit a much different version of their lineup, back on April 9th when he allowed three runs over seven innings as the Astros would eventually mount a comeback win to give him a no-decision. The Yankees will be one of his toughest opponents he's faced this year and in one of the most hostile environments. If he can set the tone early and quiet the rowdy New York crowd, he can continue his fantastic stretch of games and help push the Astros ahead in this series.
After the disappointing shutout loss in Game 1, the Astros responded with some timely offense to tie and eventually get the walk-off win in Game 2. While a few runs may be enough behind Gerrit Cole if he can continue his dominance, Houston's key bats, including a surging Carlos Correa, need to expand on their improvements in Game 2 to take another step forward and capitalize against New York's pitching.
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
The Astros playoff report is presented by APG&E.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!