Boston Red Sox: Houston Astros will be team’s most dangerous opponent
By Ryan Feyre
The Boston Red Sox clinched the playoffs on Tuesday night. However, the 2017 defending champions still stand in their way of a world series appearance.
The Boston Red Sox recorded their 100th win of the 2018 regular season on Wednesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, the fastest team to do so since the 2001 Seattle Mariners. The game finished 1-0, with David Price pitching another gem (7 IP, no earned runs, and seven strikeouts). Price is 4-0 with a 1.87 ERA over the past seven games, according to MLB.com.
In the midst of all the hoopla surrounding the team this year, especially with the countless articles featuring a “best team ever” case, Boston has tried everything in its power to stay grounded.
Sure, their offensive numbers have been ridiculous this year. Heck, there was a point at the beginning of August where their offense was outscoring opponents by 184 runs! Despite the success though, this 2018 Sox team has proved nothing yet. There 1-6 in their last seven playoff games.
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It’s one thing to win a bunch of regular season contests, but translating those results to the postseason is the real test for any MLB team. That 2001 Mariners team holds the record for most victories in regular season history with 116 but managed to lose in five games to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.
The “best team ever” case cannot apply to them since they were unable to finish the job. The same will apply to the 2018 Red Sox if they fail to win it all.
Who will be the biggest threat to Boston?
Boston experienced two early playoff exits in 2016 and 2017, both occurring in the ALDS. In the latter year, the Sox lost to the eventual champion Houston Astros, mainly because of their superior lineup. The scary part for the Sox is despite having the better regular season record in 2018, Houston has not changed at all.
The Astros’ roster is now fully healthy. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa both missed a good amount of games in 2018 (Altuve missed 23 games with a knee injury; Correa has missed over 40 games with back issues), and without them, Houston is in deep trouble offensively. In August, when Altuve missed his fifteenth consecutive game, the Astros were 6-9, according to Forbes.
Him being absent also affected the players as well. Alex Bregman, who has a strong MVP case. saw a drop in his OPS from a .920 in July to a .756 in August when Altuve was mostly missing games.
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Despite the organizational issues, Houston miraculously still has 92 wins, and will most certainly surpass 100 over the next couple of weeks. Most of that is a major result of their stellar pitching staff, led by Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander.
According to ESPN stats, Houston has by far the best starting pitching in the MLB, coming in with a 3.11 team ERA. Their pitchers are 10-1 in September with a 2.74 ERA as well, showing that they’re peaking at the right time before the postseason.
Verlander was becoming a home run machine at some point over the past few weeks (he’s given up 21 Earned Runs over his past 38 innings), but he’ll definitely be ready for the playoffs. Gerrit Cole has been the other bright spot for their rotation, where the former Pirate is currently at a 2.88 ERA, and having a career year.
How this could be trouble for Boston
The Sox lost in five games to this team in the 2017 ALDS. Arguably, with the addition of Cole, the ‘stros may be even better in 2018 too. They haven’t experienced any world series hangover like the Dodgers have at certain points throughout the year.
On top of that, the Sox are 3-4 in 2018 against this Houston team, even with all of the injuries they’ve dealt with. In the ALDS, Verlander acquired two of their wins, and now with Cole on the team, Boston may have to face one or both of them twice if both teams were to meet in a series.
Bregman’s had his own MVP-caliber season as well, reaching 50 doubles and 100 RBIs as of Wednesday. He’s also hit .333 in high leverage situations (meaning he’s come in the clutch), and he’s the first third baseman to 30 home runs and 50 doubles. He will be a key cog in the lineup come October, especially since Correa and Altuve’s production has dropped off due to their various injuries.
It’s not like the Sox have played awful against Houston this year. It’s just been difficult compared to other opponents who have similar records.
Even then, Mookie Betts is still the front-runner for MVP, and Boston made their own key acquisition in J.D. Martinez, who has an outside shot of obtaining the Triple Crown. His entry into the lineup has been integral to their success, and the void left from David Ortiz finally seems gone.
Next. Boston Red Sox reach 100-win milestone behind David Price. dark
Regardless of what happens throughout the rest of the month, the Sox will most likely have an opportunity to advance in the ALCS. Either way, they’ll probably have to go through Houston in one of those series. And best believe Astroworld will be ready for a rematch.