MLB Postseason Preview - ALCS
The American League Championship Series features the top two seeds in the Houston Astros and New York Yankees. Unlike the upset infested bracket in the National League, the AL has gone mostly as expected. If you like a battle of heavy weights, this ALCS is for you. These two teams met in the ALCS back in 2017, with the Astros going on to win. We all know about the sign stealing scandal that resulted from that series, so the Yankees are looking for some revenge while the Astros want to prove they are the best team in baseball with or without cheating. Let’s break it down.
New York Yankees
The Yankees survived their Division Series round with the Cleveland Guardians, taking the winner-take all game 5. It was the only DS to go 5 games and they had two games postponed a full day due to inclement weather. Aaron Judge got off to a terrible start but seems to have maybe found his swing again, but he’s definitely not 100%. Giancarlo Stanton continues to prove he is one of the most lethal bats in the postseason. The lineup has been decent but they will need to really bring their A game if they want to beat the Astros. The starting pitching for the most part has been this team’s strength. Both Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortez have looked sharp but the bullpen gave up a lot of runs late in games during the Cleveland Series, something that cannot happen if they want to make it past Houston. Overall, the Yankees have done enough to win but if they’re gonna play like they did against the Guardians and expect to beat the Astros, they’re delusional.
Houston Astros
The Astros are hands down the best team remaining in the postseason. They have everything going for them. They proved they can beat you in multiple ways during their sweep of the Mariners in the Division Series. They had 9th inning comebacks, blow out victories, and an extra inning grind. They won them all and looked great doing so. Yordon Alverez is an elite talent that cannot be stopped. Offensively, the Astros as a whole have been a little inconsistent but it doesn’t matter when they have so many guys that can beat you at any moment. The pitching is what really makes this team great. They have so many good arms in the rotation and bullpen. They will be well rested too heading into the ACLS. Justin Verlander did not have a good first outing but it’s hard to imagine him stumbling again. There’s not much weakness to point out with his Houston team. On paper, they should have very few problems in this series.
Prediction
For a heavy weight battle, it doesn’t really feel like a fair matchup. The Houston Astros are just that much better than everyone else remaining that it’s hard to see anyone beating them, especially in a 7 game series. However, no one is unbeatable in October. Crazier things have happened and that’s why you play the game. The Yankees certainly have motivation from their 2017 CS loss and they have the talent to give the Astros some trouble. Ultimately, you have to pick the better team to win a 7 game series and that team is the Astros. Houston will take home another American League Championship in 6 games.