WORLD SERIES GAME 7
It all comes down to this: One game for a championship
SportsMap Staff
Oct 24, 2017, 5:51 pm
The Astros and Dodgers play Game 7 of the World Series tonight. Here is a preview. Check back during the game for inning by inning updates:
When: 7:20 p.m.
Where: Dodger Stadium.
TV: Fox.
Streaming: Fox Sports Go.
Pitching matchup: Lance McCullers vs. Yu Darvish.
Series: Tied 3-3.
The breakdown: The Astros are coming off a deflating loss with their ace, Justin Verlander, on the mound. So it comes down to a patchwork pitching staff in a Game 7 on the road. Here's the bad news: 11 times a team has come home down 3-2 in a series. In eight of those, the home team won. That includes an 8-1 record in Game 7s. So the Astros face a tall task tonight. First pitch of Game 7 is scheduled for 7:20 PM Central tonight and can once again be seen on Fox. The Dodger's will start Yu Darvish, who the Astros were able to drive out early in Game 3 with a four-run second inning. The Astros have not yet named a starter but it will likely be Lance McCullers Jr. Of course, the starters will have short leashes as both teams will have nearly all their pitchers available for at least some amount of work in an attempt to do whatever it takes to win this ultimate decisive game. The Dodgers certainly have the upper hand, so it will take a big effort from the Astros to pull this out.
Time/Date Site/Result Pitchers
Game 1 Tuesday Dodgers 3, Astros 1 Kershaw (W), Keuchel (L)
Game 2 Wed. Astros 7, Dodgers 6 Devenski (W), McCarthy (L)
Game 3 Today Astros 5, Dodgers 3 McCullers (W) Darvish (L)
Game 4 Sat. Dodgers 6, Astros 2 Watson (W), Giles (L)
Game 5 Sun. Astros 13, Dodgers 12 Musgrove (W), Jansen (L)
Game 6 Today Dodgers 3, Astros 1 Watson (W), Verlander (L)
Game 7 Wed. Dodger Stadiun McCullers vs. Darvish
The Houston Astros are looking to avoid an unexpected sweep Wednesday night as they wrap up their three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park.
Winners of six of their last ten despite back-to-back losses, the Astros (55-37) turn to left-hander Brandon Walter (1-1, 4.15 ERA) to steady the ship and salvage the finale. Walter has been reliable in his recent outings, and he’ll face a Guardians lineup that has struggled to string together hits, batting just .204 over their last 10 games.
Cleveland (42-48) entered the series on a 10-game losing streak, but now has a chance to sweep the AL West leaders and take the season series. Slade Cecconi (3-4, 3.56 ERA) gets the start for the Guardians. The 26-year-old righty has kept his ERA under 4.00 this year and will look to neutralize a Houston offense that leads the American League in batting average at .260 and is hitting .295 over the last 10 games.
All eyes remain on Jose Altuve, who has driven in 16 runs and slugged four homers over his last 10 games. He’s been the heartbeat of the Houston offense, while Isaac Paredes continues to deliver steady power at the top of the lineup. The Astros have scored five or more runs in eight of their last ten games, but the bullpen faltered late in both of the first two games of this series.
Cleveland counters with the steady presence of Carlos Santana and the always-dangerous Jose Ramirez. Though Ramirez is just 6-for-38 in his last 10 games, he’s delivered key home runs in the series and remains the Guardians’ biggest threat.
With the season series now 3-2 in favor of Cleveland, Wednesday’s matchup carries added weight for the Astros as they look to regroup and avoid letting momentum slip further. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -144, Guardians +121; over/under is 8 runs
Astros lineup for the finale
What stands out? First off, Jake Meyers returns to the lineup after missing a couple of games with a calf issue. With Meyers back in the two-spot, Cam Smith returns to hitting cleanup. Caratini is playing first base again and hitting fifth, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Cooper Hummel (DH), Taylor Trammell (LF), and Mauricio Dubon (SS).
Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.
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