Game 5 of the best of 7 series between the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers will put one team a win away from the World Series.
After the Rangers won the first two games of the series in Houston, the Astros have returned the favor with back-to-back wins at Texas. Now, Game 5 will be played on Friday.
The Texas Rangers come into the game as slight favorites. Texas is listed at -118, while the Houston Astros are +100. The total for this affair is listed at nine runs.
Pitching Matchup
40-year-old veteran Justin Verlander is going to get the start for the Houston Astros. The Astros traded for him at the deadline for games like this. He has made two postseason starts and thrown 12.2 innings.
During that time, he has allowed ten hits but just two runs while striking out 11. During the regular season, he made 27 starts and finished with a 13-8 record and a 3.22 earned run average. Verlander struck out 144 batters.
For the Texas Rangers, they will turn to lefthander Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery was also traded at the deadline from the Cardinals. The 30-year-old went 10-11 in the regular season with a 3.20 earned run average. Montgomery has turned it on in the postseason, making three starts and winning all three games.
During those games, he has thrown 17.1 innings and allowed just four earned runs. Montgomery has 13 strikeouts during that time as well. In Game One, he went 6.1 innings of scoreless baseball.
Thursday’s Blowout
In the win on Thursday, the Houston Astros pounded out 11 hits. Jose Altuve started the lineup strong with three hits, while Mauricio Dubon and Yordan Alvarez had two each. Alvarez led the team with three home runs, while the big blow came off the bat of Jose Abreu, as he popped a three-run home run.
For Texas, they had eight hits, with Adolis Garcia coming away with two of them. Corey Seager tied the game at 3 with his two-run home run, but that was not nearly enough in the loss.
Hot Hitters
Yordan Alvarez leads the charge when it comes to the Houston Astros offense. He has been red hot in the postseason, with a .419 average, six bombs, and 13 runs batted in. Alvarez is the type you pitch around, but Jose Abreu has done plenty of damage as well, with four home runs and 11 runs batted in as well.
For Texas, Corey Seager has continued to provide the offense, with a .355 batting average. Adolis Garcia, who hit 39 home runs in the regular season, has smacked three out this postseason, and Mitch Garver continues to lead the team with eight runs batted in during the postseason. The Rangers have struck out 80 times in 9 games, a number they would like to see improve if they are going to continue on in October.
Astros Win; and Move a Game Away
Look for the Houston Astros to continue to find ways to score runs, and they win this game. The Astros have been there and done that. There is a reason they are the defending World Series Champions.
This is a great pitching matchup, but the runs are going to be scored here. The bullpens will play a massive factor in this one, and clutch hitting wins the game. That goes to Houston.
Our final bet for this game is the Houston Astros +100 over the Texas Rangers. The Astros get to play at home on Sunday, with a chance to win the American League Championship Series.
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