By Matthew Kennedy
The American League Championship series is heading back to Houston today for game 5, with the series tied 2-2 between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros. This is the first ALCS played between teams hailing from the same state.
The Rangers took control of the series early on, with a dominant pitching performance by Jordan Montgomery (6.1 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 6 K) and the bullpen, in game 1. Justin Verlander pitched a good game for Houston, but 2 runs was all the Rangers would need against the 2nd all-time leading pitcher in postseason wins.
The Ranger bats came out hot in game 2 with a big 4-run 1st inning against Houston’s ace, Framber Valdez. Valdez committed a costly error in the 1st which led to the damage, and is now 0-2 in the playoffs with 14 total hits given up. The Astros nearly mounted a comeback, with 2 home runs from Yordan Alvarez making it 5-4 heading into the 9th. But the Astros could not complete the comeback, going down in 3 to end the game.
The series headed to Arlington for game 3, where the Astros’ bats struck back against Max Scherzer, leading 5-0 after 4 innings. Texas tried to chip away, with Josh Jung blasting 2 homers to bring the lead down to 3 going into the 8th. But ultimately, Houston won 8-5, thanks in part to an incredible catch by the nearly 37 year old left-fielder, Michael Brantley, which saved at least 1 run in the 6th.
Game 4 saw Houston’s best offensive performance of the playoffs, leading 7-3 after 4 innings off a 3-run home run from Jose Abreu. The Rangers could not score after the 3rd and Houston won 10-3, tying the series. Alvarez now has 7 RBI in the series after his 3-RBI game 4. The 6’5 DH is hitting .420 in the playoffs, with 4 home runs against the Minnesota twins in the ALDS.
Both teams have lost their first 2 games at home, which hasn’t happened in the ALCS since 1993. Texas is looking for second-baseman Marcus Semien, who is batting .171 this postseason, to break out of his slump. Semien has been huge for Texas this season, and he will likely finish in the top 5 of the AL MVP voting. The Rangers will need him to pick up his offensive production and get on base to score runs, as he did in the regular season (led the AL in hits and runs), if they are to beat a seasoned Astros team.
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