Posts

Showing posts with the label astros

What was learned from the 2023 MLB ALCS and NLCS?

Image
The American League and National Championship Series have come to an end after a intense seven game battle. It was the first time since the 2020 postseason where both league championship series went the full distance of seven games. The final results were shocking when reflected upon. The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies were both favorited to go back to the World Series. A rematch between both teams would have marked the first World Series rematch since the 1978 World Series. The thought of a rematch was legitimate once Game 5 was completed. Both the Astros and Phillies were up 3 games to 2 games with one win remaining. The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks would need to win back to back games on the road. They did just that, eliminating the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies in seven games. The Diamondbacks won their series witch clutch hitting from Katel Marte, Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel. The Diamondbacks starting pitching and bullpen were nearly perfect i...

Who will win the 2023 MLB American and National League Championship Series?

Image
The MLB 2023 playoffs have progressed into the league championship series. The final four tesms could be considered a shock to many baseball fans. The 2 Seed Houston Astros will take on the 5 Seed Texas Rangers and the 4 Seed Philadalphia Phillies will take on the 6 Seed Arizona Diamondbacks. All four teams finished the regular season with 90 wins or less. The defending champion Houston Astros will be the favorites over the Texas Rangers. Both teams finished with 90 total Wins but the Astros won the AL West Division through a tie breaker. The Astros won many games in 2023 against the Rangers, recently sweeping them in early September. The Rangers will enter the match up with the hottest offense and have gone undefeated thus far into the playoffs. The Rangers have the better offense but the Astros have the better pitching staff. The Rangers will need Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia to lead the way to victory. The Astros will fight fire with fire as Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker...

What was learned from the 2023 MLB ALDS and NLDS?

Image
The MLB second round has come to a close. The Division Series could be summed up with two words: multiple upsets. For the first time in MLB playoff history, two teams who won 100 or more games were swept at the same time. The 90 win Texas Rangers upset the 101 win Baltimore Orioles and the 84 win Diamondbacks upset the 100 win LA Dodgers. Both series felt like total mismatches. The Rangers offense dominated with clutch home runs from Corey Seager, Mitch Garver and Adolis Garcia. The starting pitching from Nathan Eovaldi was at an elite level. The Orioles starting pitching struggled deeply and their offense went cold in games one and three. The Texas Rangers Vs Baltimore Orioles series could be best described as a veteran caliber team out-slugging and out-pitching a young team on the rise. The Arizona Diamondbacks Vs LA Dodgers series could be described as the complete opposite. The Dodgers were the veteran team, who were competely out-played and out-hustled by the up and coming Dbacks....

Who will win the 2023 MLB American League and National League Division Series?

Image
The MLB 2023 playoffs has entered the second round. The remaining playoff matchups are all interesting and fairly even matched. The Division Series matchups include the Baltimore Orioles vs the Texas Rangers, the Minnesota Twins vs the Houston Astros, the Philadelphia Phillies vs the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks vs the LA Dodgers. Each series will have it’s key X-factors. The Texas Rangers have several veteran players with playoff experience, including shortstop Corey Seager, second baseman Marcus Semien and starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. This veter caliber team will go up against a young and upcoming team, led by catcher Adley Rutschman, third baseman Gunner Henderson and outfielder Cedric Mullens. Playoff experience and veteran leadership could play huge roles in this playoff series. The Minnesota Twins will face the Houston Astros for the first time since the 2020 playoffs. Both teams look very different since that timeframe. The Houston Astros will be heavily favor...

Could the Houston Astros miss the MLB 2023 playoffs?

Image
The final day of the 2023 MLB regular season is one week away from today. The defending champion Houston Astros are at risk of missing the MLB playoffs for the first time since 2016. They enter Monday just half a game ahead of the Settle Mariners for the final Wild Card spot, with 6 games left to play. The Astros will conclude their regular season with three games against the Seattle Mariners and three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mariners will try to jump the Astros in the Wild Card standings, while the Diamondbacks will try to clinch the second National League Wild Card during the final series. The Houston Astros are coming off a poor 2-5 homestand, losing two of three games to the Baltimore Orioles and three straight losses to the Kansas City Royals. The Seattle Mariners will play the Texas Rangers for three final games after the Houston Astros Series. The Mariners were recently swept by the Texas Rangers, entering their final series against Houston. This week’s three...

Who will win the American League Western Division?

Image
The 2023 MLB Season is down to the final 6 weeks. Several divisions have been determined including the American League Central, National League East and National League West divisions. The American League West Division has become a 3-team race. The third place Seattle Mariners are in the midst of a 7 game winning streak and the first place Texas Rangers are spiraling a 5 game losing streak. The defending champion Houston Astros sit just half a game ahead of the Seattle Mariners. All three teams have elite starting pitching but health has played a huge factor in their recent successes. The Astros are currently missing former all-star first baseman Jose Abreu, while the Texas Rangers are missing all-star Third baseman Josh Jung and ace starting pitcher Natan Eovaldi. The Seattle Mariners are healthy and playing their best baseball throughout this month of August. The Mariners also have the easiest remaining schedule in comparson to the Astros and Rangers. The Rangers have several veteran...

Who were the winners of the MLB trade deadline?

Image
The MLB trade deadline has come and gone. Every team has made their big and small moves. Some teams made win now trades and others entered rebuilds. The winners of the trade deadline stood out in various ways. The Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and LA Angels were the clear winners in the American League. The Astros improved their starting pitching rotation and bullpen by trading for former Cy Young pitcher Justin Verlander and closer Kendall Graverman. The Texas Rangers improved their pitching staff by acquiring former Cy Young pitcher Max Scherzer, along with starting pitchers Jordan Montgomery and relief pitcher Chris Stratton. The Angels also improved their starting pitching rotation and bullpen by adding former All Star starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and closer Ronaldo Lopez. They then traded for offensive sluggers Randle Grichette and CJ Cron. The Miami Marlins, LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks were the deadline winners of the National League. The Marlins elevated their pitching...