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The Houston Astros once again dominated the regular season in the American League, and it resulted in them earning the top seed in the playoff bracket out of the AL. After sitting out the Wild Card round, Houston will be set to kick off their playoff campaign in the ALDS against the Seattle Mariners. With the series kicking off later today, we will look at our Astros bold predictions for their matchup against Seattle.
The Astros just continue to churn out World Series contenders, no matter what obstacles they encounter along the way. This season, they boasted one of the deepest rosters in the majors, and overcame a slow start and a torrid start to the season from the New York Yankees to solidify themselves as the team to beat in the AL.
But now Houston will have to live up to the hype. The playoffs are a different animal, but nobody knows this better than the ‘Stros. Even then, the Mariners cannot be taken lightly; just ask the Toronto Blue Jays. But the Astros are clearly a much better team than Toronto, making them the favorite heading into this series. With that in mind, let's take a look at three bold predictions for Houston in this upcoming divisional clash.
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3. Astros SP Justin Verlander will pitch a complete game shutout in Game 1
Justin Verlander missed the entire 2021 season and pretty much the entire 2020 season for the Astros, but returned this season and probably will end up winning the AL Cy Young award. Considering Verlander is 39 years old, and missed pretty much two seasons worth of action, that is a mightily impressive feat.
Verlander will toe the rubber in Game 1, and given how good he's been this season for Houston, it's tough to believe they will lose this game. Verlander's numbers on the season are outrageous (18-4, 1.75 ERA, 185 K, 0.83 WHIP) and if it weren't for a short stint on the injured list, he would be the runaway winner for the Cy Young award.
While the award is based only on regular season stats, Verlander will continue to make his case for the award in Game 1 against Seattle. The Mariners lineup can run hot or cold from time to time, and they will get completely shut down by Verlander in Game 1. Verlander will go the distance in this one, finishing at 102 pitches, giving up no runs while striking out ten. It's just another reminder of how dominant Verlander has been this season.
2. Yordan Alvarez will hit two home runs in Game 2
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Houston's deep lineup is another reason why they have once again emerged atop the AL playoff bracket entering the postseason, but it's clear their best hitter this season has been designated hitter Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez had a real breakout campaign last season, but managed to take it a step further this season and cement himself as not just Houston's best hitter, but one of the best hitters in the entire league.
Alvarez was a force in the 2021 playoffs for the Astros, and he carried that over to the 2022 season (.306 BA, 37 HR, 97 RBI, 1.019 OPS). Alvarez had a higher batting average, hit more home runs, and drew more walks than he did in his 2021 campaign. If it weren't for Aaron Judge's monster season, or the fact he plays in the same conference as Shohei Ohtani, Alvarez would be a legit MVP candidate.
Similar to Verlander, Alvarez will show why early on against the Mariners. He's fairly quiet in Game 1, but he will erupt in Game 1 against Luis Castillo. He will greet Castillo with a two-run shot in the first inning, and send him to the showers for the day in the third inning when he hits another two-run shot in the third inning. It will result in another early lead for Houston that they won't relinquish.
1. The Astros will effortlessly sweep the Mariners out of the playoffs
After winning their first two games at home, the Astros will head to Seattle looking to wrap things up before the Mariners can make any charge back into the series. Cristian Javier will likely get the start in Game 3 after Framber Valdez took the hill in Game 2, and Houston will easily move past Seattle in the third game of the series.
Game 3 will see Robbie Ray make his second start of the playoffs after struggling against the Toronto Blue Jays, and things won't go much better for him this time around. The Astros will get a run in the first before adding three more in the second and another two in the third. The game will essentially be over there, as Javier goes six strong innings before turning things over to the bullpen.
It's not that the Mariners aren't good, but on paper, the Astros look ten times stronger than any team in the American League this season. It's tough to see anyone beating them in a series, and Seattle simply doesn't have the firepower to make this series competitive. The ‘Stros are favored to win this series, and they will end up sweeping Seattle out of the playoffs to move onto the ALCS.
