Houston Astros: Five biggest road blocks to a World Series title

Chicago Cubs

We are starting with potential World Series matchups, and while the Washington Nationals would be most people’s picks for the number five spot, I’m more worried about if the Astros had to face the reigning champion Chicago Cubs.

The reasoning is four fold.

1. The Washington Nationals do not have a good track record in the post season, never being able to advance past the divisional round series when they do get there, regardless of their record going into the playoffs.
2. They are banged up with a lot of injuries to big keys to their team. Adam Eaton may be back by playoff time but that’s uncertain. Injuries to Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth make it hard to imagine the team being able to rehab and playing at top caliber performance come October.
3. The Cubs, for all their first half struggles, have turned things around in the second half to the tune of a 26-15 record. While their additions of Jose Quintana, Alex Avila and Justin Wilson have contributed, the team overall is just playing better, and those additions make them all the tougher.
4. The Cubs were just there last year and know what it takes. They also have arguably the best manager in the game, and in baseball all it takes is getting to the post season and then anything can happen, regardless of you regular season record.

Despite the Astros struggles against the Washington Nationals in head to head matchups, I doubt we’ll see them in the World Series given their current condition and their history of post season failure.

The Cubs however showed strength and resolve in their playoff run last year, including coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the world series and the additions they made in Quintana, Avila and Wilson make them an even more formidable playoff foe should we get to the World Series against them.