And that's with him throwing the pitch 60% of the time, the fifth-highest rate among those with at least 1,000 fastballs this season. ![]() The expected batting average on Javier's fastball during the regular season was a big-league-low. "Cristian Javier has the best fastball of any starter in baseball," one evaluator says, and when reminded that it averaged only 94 mph and he might not have the best on his team - hello, Justin Verlander - he insisted: "It's better." He may have a point. "I'd throw everything hard and high," one scout said. Half of them came with two strikes and Altuve protecting, but the other three were on 0-0, 1-0 and 1-1 counts. Of the six, five have come on fastballs, all at 95.2 mph or harder, and five have been high, near the top of the strike zone - four heaters and one changeup. Jose Altuve has popped out to an infielder in an almost-inconceivable six of 35 at-bats this postseason, and the commonalities are velocity and verticality. The Astros have righty relievers to excel in those situations, so painting this as a true weak spot might be a stretch and they could always roster veteran lefty Will Smith to use in a specialized role. Where the Astros are vulnerable: Houston is as close to a perfect team as you'll find in MLB right now, so the only thing you can point to is the lack of a platoon-dominant lefty to match against Kyle Schwarber or Bryce Harper in a high-leverage spot. ![]() This just feels like the Astros' time - a time when they'll truly distance themselves from scandal. Moxie: This is the Astros' fourth World Series appearance in six years, they've gone undefeated throughout these playoffs, and they have a perfect mix of veterans performing at elite levels and young players coming into their own. Philadelphia has made the routine plays as a unit recently, but the Astros, who had the second-most outs above average in the sport this year, are far superior in the field. The defensive advantage: At some point, one would think, the Phillies' defense will cost them in a big moment. The Phillies can't match this type of depth. Baker has as many as five lights-out, high-leverage arms to deploy late in games. The bullpen: The Astros' relievers led the majors in ERA during the regular season and have been flat-out dominant in the postseason. And for manager Dusty Baker, a spot in the Hall of Fame gets solidified with a long-awaited World Series title. ![]() If the Astros do become the first to do so - on top of 106 regular-season wins, six consecutive ALCS appearances and three other trips to the World Series since 2017 - they go down as an all-time great team and, yes, a modern-day dynasty. What's on the line for the Astros: No team has swept the postseason in the wild-card era, with the 1999 Yankees and 2005 White Sox coming closest by going 11-1. Jump to: Astros | Phillies | Our predictions Houston AstrosĦ1.5% chance of winning | Caesars odds: -190 ET on Friday night at Minute Maid Park, we go deep on the players and matchups that matter most for both teams - and asked our ESPN MLB experts to make their picks for who will win the series, how many games it will take and who will be the MVP of this Fall Classic. With the first pitch of World Series Game 1 scheduled for 8:03 p.m. Thanks to the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies making short work of their opponents in the previous round, baseball fans had to go four October days without playoff baseball. MLB, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĢ022 World Series: Astros or Phillies? Who will be MVP? Predictions, inside intel and odds
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