How Dusty Baker plans to attack Mariners in must-win game for Astros
GAME PLAN
27 September 2023
Michael Brantley will start in left field in the finale against Seattle. Composite Getty Image.
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.
How big is Wednesday's game?
If the Astros lose, they would have to sweep Arizona if the Mariners just split the four games with the Rangers to finish ahead of Seattle.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) September 27, 2023
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.
Baseball at night.
🕗: 8:40 PM
📺: @ATTSportsNetSW
📻: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM pic.twitter.com/8lSDFeq8Xc
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 27, 2023
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!
Fred VanVleet scored 37 points and the surging Houston Rockets won their ninth straight, beating the Miami Heat 102-98 Friday night.
VanVleet shot 13 for 17 from the field and made a season-high 9 of 11 3-pointers as the Rockets extended the league’s longest active winning streak. Houston also snapped a nine-game skid against Miami, which lost its 10th straight. It is the Heat’s longest skid since they lost 11th straight in 2007-08.
Amen Thompson returned after missing the last six games because of a sprained left ankle and finished with 18 points and seven steals while Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith each added 11 points for the Rockets.
Houston rallied from an 11-point deficit early in the third quarter and got to 80-78 on Jalen Green’s jumper to close the period.
Miami’s Andrew Wiggins scored 30 points, his highest total since the Heat acquired him from Golden State for Jimmy Butler on Feb. 6. Kel’el Ware had 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Bam Adebayo also scored 16 points for the Heat.
Takeaways
Rockets: Houston remained second in the Western Conference.
Heat: Miami squandered its 20th double digit lead that led to a loss. Wiggins’ jump shot two minutes into the third period put the Heat ahead 65-54 before Houston rallied.
Key moment
VanVleet went on a personal 9-2 run to start the fourth that put the Rockets ahead for good. He hit two 3-pointers, a lay-up and made 1 of 2 free throws that gave Houston an 87-84 lead.
Key stat
The Rockets outrebounded the Heat 46-34 for their eighth consecutive game of winning the rebounding edge against their opponent.
Up next
Rockets host Denver on Sunday, and Heat host Charlotte.
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