Houston will look to wrap up the series on Friday
Astros playoff report presented by APG&E: ALCS Game 5 Preview
Oct 18, 2019, 6:55 am
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
Alex Bregman and the Astros will look to wrap up the ALCS on Friday
After dropping the first game of this series to start on the wrong foot, the Astros have roared back to rattle off three straight wins, including the first two of the three games at Yankee Stadium, to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. With games 4 and 5 shifting back a day due to Wednesday's rainout, that has allowed both teams to go back to their Game 2 starters.
The Yankees will send out James Paxton as they try to avoid elimination, while Houston will look to their ace, Justin Verlander, to try and clinch the AL pennant for the second time in three years. Here is a preview of ALCS Game 5 that will take place Friday:
Game Facts
When: Friday, 6:08 p.m Central.
Where: Yankee Stadium - The Bronx, New York.
TV: FS1.
Streaming: Fox Sports App.
Pitching matchup: Justin Verlander vs. James Paxton
Series: Astros lead 3-1.
Series schedule
| 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 | Astros 4, Yankees 1 | Yankee Stadium, Bronx NY | Cole (W) vs Severino (L) |
| Game 4 | Astros 8, Yankees 3 | Yankee Stadium, Bronx NY | Greinke (ND) vs Tanaka (L) |
| Game 5 | Friday 10/18, 6:08 PM | Yankee Stadium, Bronx NY | Verlander vs Paxton |
| Game 6* | Saturday 10/19, 7:08 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
Game Storylines
Verlander on the mound to go for the clinch
As soon as Game 5 was announced to be moved to be on Friday, it was a no-brainer to put Verlander on the mound for it. Even before the Game 4 win when Houston was ahead 2-1, you would still want Verlander on the bump even if the series was a 2-2 split. The fact of the matter is, if you have Justin Verlander on regular rest, you start him, period. Now, even more so, with a chance to finish off the Yankees and clinch the series and earn a few days of rest before Tuesday's World Series Game 1, you hand the ball to your ace.
Verlander fell victim to one big swing from Aaron Judge in Game 2 of this series, which resulted in two runs that at the time gave the Yankees a one-run lead before the Astros would go on to tie and eventually get the walk-off win. Other than that, he was great in that outing, allowing just five hits over his six and two-thirds innings of work. Look for Verlander to come out with determination as he attempts to replicate that success against this potent Yankees lineup in Game 5 to come through for his team and finish this series with him on the mound.
Houston's bats need to keep rolling
It's no question that Houston's bats have won the battle at the plate in these last three games. New York has failed to capitalize on several opportunities to score and shift the momentum their way, and instead have allowed the Astros to steal it by manufacturing runs through "small ball" or big-time home runs. Houston should look to do more of the same in Game 5 by staying confident at the plate starting in the top of the first inning.
If they can score early to start controlling the story of the game, they may be able to repeat the success of Game 4 and push the Yankees off their game and get after an already thin pitching staff for New York. With George Springer and Carlos Correa both coming through with big home runs in the previous games, it's time for some other struggling bats like Yordan Alvarez and Yuli Gurriel to step up and break their slumps as the team is now in the driver's seat to make a World Series appearance.
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.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.