Our offense has been absolute **** on the road outside of game 2 this series. Yankees swept us at their house and we couldn't get the bats going at all.
I completely forgot he pitched a gem into the 7th at Yankee stadium. That gives me some extra hope. It really would be nice if we could give him a cushion early on. If we do let’s hope he doesn’t walk the bases loaded
Right... I'm with most I expect it will be another disappointment to throw on the mountain of disappoints we Houston sports fans have endured over the decades. Honestly, who will be surprised if we get blown the **** out like 12-0 tomorrow? Do any of us want that to happen? Of course not, but would it surprise anyone? Probably not. Despite all that I'm hoping for the best and McCullers throws an absolutely amazing game and we come away with a historic victory. That's what I hope for but I sure as hell would not put any money down in Vegas for an outcome like that.
The good news is the Astros hit the ball pretty hard last night...they just didnt get the clutch hit(s) they needed. The bad news is I doubt Darvish will be as bad as he was in game 3. The Astros most likely will only see Darvish, Kershaw, Morrow and Jansen tonight. I doubt the Astros lay a greasy game 7 turd like the Rockets but you never know...
But Springer eventually came around. Reddick has been worthless for two straight series now that have gone the distance. Even McCann who was every bit as horrendous as Reddick offensively in the ALCS came through when the team needed him once the series returned to Minute Maid Park. I'm torn on benching Reddick now. It's Game 7 and I get that you dance with the one that brung ya. But he really is so bad at the plate that I can't see Maybin being any worse. Hell, he at least got a hit in extra innings in Game 2 before Springer delivered that home run. And that extra runner on base wound up being the difference in the game. As for Game 7, I don't have a good feeling about it. The real opportunity was last night and the Stros left so many runners on base. Not saying they can't win it tonight, but my gut tells me that Reddick strikeout and Verlander hitting the batter in the foot will haunt them all offseason.
It's going to be close and a tough game but I voted yes. Both teams have great offenses and great pitching but I think the Stros offense is still a little better. A day of rest really helped the Dodgers bullpen but they've still been over used. We know that Janson, Morrow and Maeda all suffer without much rest. They've been used alot including last night. Even though they got rest we saw them in trouble in game 2. Kershaw coming out of the pen is going to be intriguing but this is also shortrest for him too. Also given Roberts habit of pulling pitchers quick I wouldn't count on any Dodger pitcher going long. The Stros pitching staff is beleagured but not as overworked as the Dodgers. Also if it comes down to bringing aces from the pen Keuchel's style is more suited to pitching on short rest than Kershaw. I'm giving a very narrow edge to the Stros in both offense and pitching. What will kill the Stros though is stranding runners. We've left way too many runners stuck on base and we've seen way too many cases where we are mounting a challenge and then on 2 outs a batter hits a weak shot to third ending the inning. We need to keep rallies going. I don't know if it's fatigue or the pressure of the moment too many mistakes in the field. To win this game Stros need to play a flawless game in the field. Finally homefield including being able to bat last is going to greatly help the Dodgers. If it's a war of attrition between pitching the staff the last team to get to hit has a big advantage. That's how we won game 5. It's going to be a tough and exciting game. GO STROS!
Exactly. Reddick has KILLED right-handed pitching this year. In fact, as I said in the other thread, I'd not only start him but bat him 2nd. With McCann, Marwin and Reddick (plus the pitcher) all clustered, it plays into the Dodgers' hands perfectly. Roberts can run a lefty out there to neutralize those three - and he's done it successfully EVERY game. I think Hinch HAS to counter that by putting a right-handed bat #7. Tonight, Marwin will get to start left-handed, where he is significantly better. Bat him 6th, Bregman 7th, McCann 8th. Then, if Roberts wants to throw a LH to turn Marwin around, he either has to burn him for one batter or let Bregman take his shot - and he has KILLED left-handed pitching this year. If he burns the lefty and goes with a RH to face Bregman, then he has ANOTHER decision to make because McCann is better v RHP. If Hinch doesn't counter, it'll put his team at a disadvantage. Roberts WILL NOT hesitate to bullpen tonight, ESPECIALLY with Kershaw available. If 1-5 makes noise, he'll pull Darvish in the 1st and sic Kershaw on McCann, Marwin and Reddick, effectively killing any rally. He hit Reddick 2nd v RHP all year and the Astros' offense was fairly good.
We will if we bench Reddick Marwin doesn't bat right handed And AJ hinch isn't allowed in the ballpark
When I told the guy next to me that Gurriel was 2 for his last 29 (or whatever) against left-handed pitching, he said, "He's due." Next pitch? Three-home bomb, 4-4. We hugged and our section went ballistic. "He's due" (or similar variation) is now the rallying cry of this team. So, kudos, Buck, for being personally responsible for ripping open their road offense.
