FINISHING MOVE
Let's discuss 3 overriding keys for Astros to closeout Red Sox
Oct 22, 2021, 11:09 am
Game Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
Altuve, Correa help lift Astros to ALCS Game 1 win over Red Sox
After losing games 2 and 3 to the Red Sox in the ALCS, the Astros came back to win two straight games in Boston and lead the series 3-2.
The final two games (if necessary) will be in Houston.
The Astros could finish off this series on Friday and advance to their 3rd World Series in 5 years.
To accomplish this task, Houston must rely on their best two assets thus far, hitting and solid work out of the bullpen, with a little help from their starting pitchers.
The bats staying hot
The best thing about this Astros team has been their ability to come though in big situations at the plate.
The "Magnificent Seven" have all had great moments this postseason.
Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker lead the team with three home runs each, and Yordan Alvarez has the hottest bat in the lineup with a .367 batting average.
The 24-year-old slugger had a tremendous game Wednesday when he went 3-5 and drove in three of the Astros 9 runs.
He and Yuli Gurriel have been the best bats this postseason, and look to continue to be a menace at the plate once the series shifts to Minute Maid Park.
Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Michael Brantley have started to heat up at the right time as well.
If the Astros continue to hit the way they have been, the Red Sox will be in trouble.
Since Eduardo Rodriguez tapped his wrist after striking out Carlos Correa in Game 3, the Astros have outscored Boston 18-3.
It's not as if Houston needs any extra motivation to return to the World Series, but it never hurts to have a little bonus incentive to beat an opponent.
The bullpen needs to bend not break
Manager Dusty Baker has been forced to use his bullpen a lot, with multiple starters unable to go deep into games.
With the exception of Framber Valdez's dominate Game 5 performance in which he pitched 8 quality innings, the Astros have been forced to use guys like Cristian Javier, Brooks Raley, Yimi Garcia and others more than they are used to.
Although they have given up some runs, the bullpen has yet to cost the Astros a game during the ALCS.
Games 2 and 3 were lost in the first few innings from poor starting pitching, and the bullpen did their part to not make it any worse.
Except for Ryne Stanek, who pitched the 9th inning Wednesday, the bullpen will have two full days off before they face the Red Sox Friday.
Greinke, Jake Oddorizzi and Javier could all eat major innings in relief outings if necessary.
The rest will come in handy as they may need them again to eat innings for Game 6 and 7 (if necessary).
Starting pitchers must do more
Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy and Zack Greinke failed to pitch more than two innings in each of their starts. Garcia is slated to take the mound Friday and looks to bounce back after an abysmal outing.
In both of his postseason starts, he has thrown 3.2 innings and has a 24.55 ERA.
Needless to say there is nowhere to go but up for the 24-year-old pitcher.
If he could last five innings, it would take pressure off of the bullpen arms and give the Astros a better chance of closing out the series Friday night.
Houston has all the ingredients to beat Boston this weekend and return to the World Series once again.
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If you are a believer in the third time is a charm, go ahead and book the Texans for their first ever appearance in the AFC Championship game! Saturday is the Texans’ third crack at the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. Of course, the Texans had a third time is the charm opportunity at advancing beyond the division round back in 2016 and came nowhere close. Charm will have nothing to do with the outcome at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs have administered the Texans’ two most humiliating postseason defeats in franchise history. They came as the bookend postseason appearances of Bill O’Brien’s tenure as head coach. In 2015, the Texans won the worst division in the AFC (that sounds familiar) but as a division champ got to play host to the Wild Card 11-5 Chiefs. The visitors were three-point favorites. They won by 30. 30-0 to be more precise. Knile Davis returned the opening kickoff 106 yards for a touchdown. It would have been in the Texans’ best interest to have forfeited right then and there. In what was not exactly a shocking development, Texans’ quarterback Brian Hoyer wasn’t up to the task, throwing for just 112 yards and four interceptions. On the Chiefs’ side third-year tight end Travis Kelce had eight receptions for 128 yards. Taylor Swift was not in attendance.
The second Texans-Chiefs playoff get together is the most incredible game in Texans’ history. The Texans showed up in Missouri fresh off the greatest comeback win in their history, having come from down 16-0 in the third quarter to best the Buffalo Bills in overtime. In what could safely be characterized as stunning, the Texans put up three first quarter touchdowns for a 21-0 lead. *Massive bonus points if you can name the three Texans who scored those TDs, answer below. A field goal made it 24-0 Texans with 10:54 left in the second quarter. In a collapse tough to pull off, the Texans would trail before halftime. The Chiefs scored four touchdowns in nine minutes and eleven seconds of game time, with that Kelce fellow scoring the last three of them. Some will recall O’Brien calling a fake punt from his own 31-yard line with the Texans up 24-7. Too soon? Justin Reid (now pursuing his third Super Bowl ring in three seasons as a Chief) was stopped short. An even more damning O’Brien moment came later in that game when he actually had to use a timeout to change his mind and go for it with 11:49 left in the fourth quarter, the Texans down 48-31, and facing fourth and four at the K.C. 42. That was a fire-able on the spot offense! Instead it took an 0-4 start to the 2020 season for O’Brien to be ousted. 51-31 Chiefs was the final score, and they went on to win the first of their three Super Bowl titles in the ongoing Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes era.
Back to the present
Those routs were then, this is now. For a 15-2 team the Chiefs seem vulnerable. Maximum credit to them for having won an NFL record 16 consecutive games decided by eight or fewer points, 11 of them this season including their 27-19 victory over the Texans December 21. Perhaps the two-time defending champions were often bored with the regular season and often did just enough to win. The Texans would have been tied with them late in the third quarter had Ka’imi Fairbairn not botched an extra point. On the other hand, it was the play that got them within 17-16 which resulted in Tank Dell’s catastrophic season-ending knee injury. Who besides Nico Collins will do something in the passing game Saturday? Last Saturday the Texans’ pass rush harassed and flustered Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert. Mahomes is a different breed. Four weeks ago the Texans sacked Mahomes just once and did not intercept him. That seemingly must change for the Texans to pull off what be a shocker for most people. Saturday’s high temperature forecast for Kansas City is 25 degrees. Not ideal for the Texans but better than if the game had been scheduled for Sunday when the high is supposed to be 16.
Still standing
Four Texans who dressed for the debacle five years ago will suit up against the Chiefs Saturday: Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard who were in their first season with the team, Fairbairn, and long snapper Jon Weeks. Granted he’s just a long snapper (important role but not physically taxing), but Weeks is in his 15th season with the Texans and has yet to miss a game-244 regular season games (with Saturday his 14th playoff game, also without a miss). Presuming he is back next season, Weeks (who turns 39 next month) can crack the top five list of most consecutive games played in NFL history by answering the bell in the first 12 regular season games.
*The Texans’ three early TDS in the 51-31 loss at KC: 1. Kenny Stills with a 54-yard reception 2. Lonnie Johnson with a 10-yard return of a blocked punt 3. Darren Fells with a four-yard grab
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!