Houston Astros: Three players due for a breakout in the ALDS
The Houston Astros were able to handle the Cleveland Indians well in Game 1 of the ALDS but who’s due for a breakout? Here are three guys to look for.
The Houston Astros were able to make a statement in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians. This series, of course, started out at their home turf in the friendly confines of Minute Maid Park but the way Houston Astros pummeled the Indians with their offense, it was far from friendly.
This is completely a different team when it comes to the playoffs, as you’d expect, these players rise to the occasion and we’ve seen some of the greatest moments in baseball when this fine assembly of baseball players goes against the grain.
The Houston Astros had all kinds of offense oozing out of them yesterday afternoon with Alex Bregman doing the honors of the team’s first score on the board with a solo homer, followed by George Springer and Jose Altuve putting up some solos of their own.
Martin Maldonado even got in on the party, making a big knock at the bottom of the 7th inning to the Crawford Boxes, the first postseason homer of his career.
Josh Reddick drove in two runs of which the most notable was when Myles Straw pinch ran for Tyler White — who was able to get a double — and he was able to get single right up the middle allowing the speedy rookie to tack on one more security run to put the team up 7-2 as well as the eventual win.
With the way the game ended, you would’ve thought the game had prolific offense throughout but things didn’t get started until the bottom of the 4th with Bregman’s homer.
Looking for more debate about the ALDS roster? Take a listen to my guys Robert Land and R.G. Seal with the Houston Sports Talk podcast:
Justin Verlander looked terrific out there until about the 6th inning where he obviously started to show signs of fatigue. After 102 pitches and allowing two earned runs, the ball was handed to Ryan Pressly to which the bullpen — including Lance McCullers, Jr. and Roberto Osuna — were able to protect the Houston Astros’ leadership.
Verlander finished the day with seven strikeouts and two walks to his line but most of the bad stuff tacked on right before A.J. Hinch gave him the friendly hook. He, of course, received a standing ovation from the crowd as he trudged back over to the dugout.
But enough of how awesome yesterday’s game was, let’s talk about some Houston Astros players that are due for a breakout in the ALDS! Who do you think they are? Let’s specifically focus on THREE that can get the job done. Take a look and beware!