Houston Astros: Gerrit Cole needs to be in the bullpen from the start

The Houston Astros are officially in win or go home mode. Boston leads the ALCS 3-1 with Justin Verlander taking the mound for game five but Gerrit Cole needs to be ready to go from the start.

Game four of the ALCS was mired in controversy from before this game ever even started. After several allegations, the MLB announced they were investigating the Houston Astros for potentially cheating. The revealed before the game started that they found no wrongdoing.

But, as you likely know, the controversy did not end there. In the bottom of the first inning, with the Astros down 2-0, Jose Altuve blasted what would have been a game-tying, two-run home run into the first row of the right-field seats.

Unfortunately, Joe West ruled there was fan interference in Mookie Betts attempt to rob the shot and Altuve was ruled out rendering the Astros runless and with two out instead of a tied game with one out. Fans weren’t happy, players weren’t happy, it was just an all-around, game-altering judgment call that had the Astros chasing those two runs the entire game.

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The final score of game four of the ALCS was 8-6, though the Houston Astros had a shot to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. They loaded the bases with a couple walks and the team MVP, Alex Bregman was coming up to bat with two outs. He sliced a nice shot into left field but Andrew Benintendi made an absolutely phenomenal play to end the game.

The Red Sox have simply stunned the Astros at home these past two games to take a 3-1 series lead. The Astros are now officially in win or go home mode. They faced this situation twice last year but only had to win one game both of those times. This year, they need to rip off three in a row, including two in Boston.

With Justin Verlander on the mound tonight the Houston Astros have a great shot to win their first win or go home game. However, just in case Gerrit Cole needs to be in the bullpen ready to come in at a moment’s notice. Verlander should be given the opportunity to work out of a sticky situation because he’s one of the greatest to ever do it, however, everybody has a leash in this game.

Cole needs to be the guy that comes in if Verlander has to come out of the game before the 6th inning, game six be damned. If the Astros can’t get out of the game tonight then there won’t be a game six. There are other guys who can make a game six start like Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton, maybe Josh James, or even an opener might be used.

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Even if Verlander has a quality start and makes it through five, six, seven innings there is a major case to be made for the Houston Astros to turn to Cole. The Astros bullpen, previously viewed as a major strength, has faltered to epic proportions, with a 6.89 ERA in the ALCS. They’ve allowed 12 earned runs and 17 hits in under 16 innings.

Sure, Cole struggled a little bit to start game two in Boston but he is, without a doubt, the second best pitcher on the Astros, behind Verlander. If you’re fighting for your season and playoff lives, Cole needs to be the guy the Astros turn to after Cole. He is the only one to trust at this point.

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So, here’s to hoping game five goes better than game four. A combination of Verlander and Cole gives the Houston Astros the best shot at going back to Boston for a game six situation and keeping their World Series hopes alive.

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