The Astros are going for the clean sweep
Astros playoff report presented by APG&E: ALDS Game 3 preview
Oct 7, 2019, 6:55 am
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
With the incredible start by Gerrit Cole fueling them to a win on Saturday night, the Astros are now in the driver's seat with a 2-0 lead in the ALDS against the Rays. Game 3 may be the most challenging yet for Houston, with the series shifting to Tampa Bay's home stadium at Tropicana Field, and going up against their toughest starting pitcher in Charlie Morton.
Still, Houston is an understandable favorite to win the game and make it a clean sweep to advance to the ALCS. Here is a quick rundown of how and what to watch for in Game 3 on Monday afternoon:
Game Facts
When: Monday, 12:05 p.m Central.
Where: Tropicana Field - St. Petersburg, Florida.
TV: MLB Network.
Streaming: MLB.TV (Subscription or Cable Login Required)
Pitching matchup: Zack Greinke vs. Charlie Morton.
Series: HOU leads 2-0.
Series schedule
| Date & Time (Central) | Location | Pitching matchup | |
| Game 1 | Astros 6, Rays 2 | Minute Maid Park, Houston | Verlander (W) vs. Glasnow (L) |
| Game 2 | Astros 3, Rays 1 | Minute Maid Park, Houston | Cole (W) vs. Snell (L) |
| Game 3 | Monday 10/7, 12:05 PM | Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg | Greinke vs Morton |
| Game 4* | Tuesday 10/8, TBD | Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg | TBD vs. TBD |
| Game 5* | Thursday 10/10, TBD | Minute Maid Park, Houston | TBD vs. TBD |
* If necessary.
Game Storylines
Time for Greinke to show that the trade was worth it
While Houston's trade for Zack Greinke was not solely to improve their playoff chances in 2019, but rather to add a piece for the next couple of seasons, bringing him in to be a part of the playoff rotation and aid in playoff success was a large part of the consideration. He will be well-rested, having last pitched on September 25th in Seattle when he brought a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Mariners.
However, Greinke has a career 3-4 record and 4.03 ERA in the postseason, with his most recent appearances in 2017 with the Diamondbacks where he had a rough 3.2 inning, four-run start in the Wild Card game that Arizona would end up winning, then followed that with a five-inning, three-run loss to the Dodgers in the NLDS. Also, he faced this Rays team back on August 29th in Houston, a game where they tagged him with five earned runs, including two homers, over five and two-thirds innings of work. While Greinke may have the strikeout numbers of Justin Verlander or Gerrit Cole, he will still need to bring his A-game to induce soft contact and easy outs to help the Astros win this ALDS.
Chance for ALDS Sweep in back-to-back seasons
If they do clinch the sweep on Monday afternoon, that will make it two-straight years where the Astros have done so, also winning the ALDS in three-straight games against the Indians in 2018. They would also improve to 9-1 in ALDS games over the last three years, having lost just one game against the Red Sox in the 2017 series before clinching it 3-1 in Game 4. To do so, they'll have to go through former teammate Charlie Morton.
While Houston was able to get after Morton for six runs over four innings on August 27th, that game was in Houston. If you rewind to the first series of the 2019 season, the Astros had a tough offensive series at Tropicana field, including losing to Morton, who held them to two runs over five innings. The Astros have had notable struggles in St. Petersburg; when you look at the last three years combined as visitors in that ballpark, they have gone 48-for-355 at the plate collectively, a paltry .211 average (according to FanGraphs). They will need to erase those struggles from their memory and instead focus on replicating the offensive success that has gotten them to this position.
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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Is Jose Altuve’s move to left field overblown?
In Altuve's first start in left field last week, he didn't have a single ball hit in his direction. In his second start in left, Altuve had two opportunities. The first was a ground ball in which Altuve made a throwing error trying to throw out a runner at home. The second opportunity went better, with Altuve making a nice catch at the wall. If Altuve only gets two or three balls hit his way per game, which could very well be the case, will this be a smoother transition than initially thought?
Astros manager Joe Espada is making it clear—if Altuve is moving to left field, it won’t be a temporary experiment. “I would like to leave him at one position for the majority of games,” Espada said. “The back and forth is something that I am going to avoid.”
Barring injuries or roster changes, Espada expects Altuve to get more starts in left field than at second base. The shift also allows the Astros to be flexible, potentially opening up DH opportunities when Yordan Alvarez gets some occasional starts in left field.
Outfield depth still a concern
Houston’s outfield situation remains shaky. Ben Gamel has yet to record a hit this spring and has been sidelined with back soreness, though he’s expected to return this week. Jake Meyers, who was also off to a slow start, finally showed signs of life Sunday with a pair of RBI singles. Meanwhile, prospect Jacob Melton has been reassigned to minor league camp but could see more Grapefruit League action down the line.
The offensive struggles don’t end there. Heading into Monday's game, Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubon had yet to record a hit this spring. However, McCormick did come through with a hit and an RBI on Monday. Yippee!
A call for help?
Outfielder Alex Verdugo is still on the market. Astros GM Dana Brown reportedly checked in on Verdugo several weeks ago, but his price tag appears too rich for Houston as they try to stay under the luxury tax. With Altuve appearing to be a staple in left field, should the club consider adding Verdugo to replace Meyers or McCormick, considering their continued struggles at the plate? Or should Verdugo's disappointing 2024 season be enough to scare the club away from signing him?
Bullpen questions linger
Josh Hader, once a fixture on Buster Olney's top reliever lists, was relegated to the "honorable mention" section this year following a down season. With Houston hoping to manage the workload of Hader and Bryan Abreu, should they have considered bringing back Hector Neris? The veteran reliever recently signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta.
Prospects and pitching notes
While several of the big-league bats have struggled, prospects Shay Whitcomb and Zack Dezenzo have shown some promise. Whitcomb has collected three hits, including a home run, while Dezenzo has five hits in sixteen at-bats with a double.
On the mound, Lance McCullers Jr. faced live hitters and reached nearly 95 mph on the radar gun, a positive sign for his return.
Cam Smith continues to rake, driving in three runs with a triple on Monday. So that's three walks, two homers, and a bases clearing triple. Pretty, pretty good.
With Isaac Paredes (homered over the weekend), Hayden Wesneski (pitched two scoreless innings on Monday), and Smith looking as advertised, the haul for Kyle Tucker is looking good so far!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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