The two teams in this series are the two best in the American League as the Houston Astros and New York Yankees will square off in this American League Championship Series. These two are heavyweights and arguably the favorites to win the World Series. This is the second time the two teams have battled in the ALCS as Houston won in 2017. This is expected to go seven games. But let’s take a look at the matchup.
The starting pitching
The Yankees have a very good pitching staff with the likes of Luis Severino, James Paxton, and Masahiro Tanaka leading the way. That being said, the Astros have an outstanding one as they have three legitimate aces leading the way with Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, and Zack Greinke. New York will have to match zeroes with Houston if they want to stay in this series. Expect a lot of pitcher’s duels in this clash.
The bullpens
The Astros have a pretty good bullpen with Will Harris, Roberto Osuna, and Joe Smith in there, but the Yankees have an outstanding one with Adam Ottavino, Aroldis Chapman, and Chad Green in there. If these become a battle of bullpens then New York has the advantage here and this might be a key area for the series.
The offense
These two teams can absolutely slug the ball, but the Yankees hold the advantage in the home run category because as a team they slugged 306 during the season. However, with having to play two less games than the Astros, will the New York offense keep up? Houston’s offense has been awesome as well, but will they struggle against a stout Yankees pitching staff? This will be an interesting part of the matchup that will be interesting to watch.
Who’s hotter?
This one is a hard question to ask as both teams have been playing great all year long. However, the question is who is more in baseball shape as the Yankees have had a bit of a layoff and Houston has played more games this postseason. It may or may not factor into the outcome of this series, but it may play a role.
Predictions
James Rowe: Astros. I just think the Astros have the best team in baseball and it will be hard for any team to beat them. The Yankees are a worthy challenge, but Houston has more horses to take pennant.
Rowe Sports Talk Network 