It all comes down to this. If the Astros are able to come away with a victory on Wednesday night, they control their own destiny moving forward. But if they fall to the Mariners, they will likely have to sweep Arizona and get some help from the Rangers to have a chance at the postseason.
The Astros are currently a half game up on Seattle, but a loss tonight would push Houston out of the final wild card spot and give the Mariners a leg up.
How will Dusty deploy his hitters in the biggest game of the season?
Tonight's lineup is missing several key pieces to the Astros' offense. Chas McCormick and Yainer Diaz. McCormick might be out of the lineup due to getting hit by a pitch on Tuesday night. And Diaz's only shot at playing was hitting DH, with Martin Maldonado catching for Framber Valdez as he has done all season.
In what could be a silver lining, Michael Brantley has returned to play left field, with Yordan Alvarez sliding over to the DH spot. And once again Dusty Baker is sticking to his guns with Jose Abreu hitting 5th once again.
Let's hope Framber Valdez has one of his classic performances, because runs could be tough to come by if the top 4 guys in the lineup don't come through with big performances.
Let's go get this one! Go Astros!
