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The Texas Rangers will take their 5-0 2023 MLB Playoffs record into Game 1 of the ALCS on Sunday against the Houston Astros as they look to keep it rolling. And while the defending World Series champions did sweep the Rangers in their last series in September, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe knows this team is a whole different beast right now.
Via Evan Grant of Dallas News:
“We were missing two or three bats and had a couple of pieces that weren’t fully firing on all pistons,” Lowe said of the last Houston series. “Our offense has gotten hot; it would be a good series for me to get again. The pitchers are doing a great job. We know we’ve got our work cut out for us, but, yeah, I think we’re as strong as any of the four teams that are left.”
Mitch Garver meanwhile revealed what one of the keys will be for the Rangers in order to get past Houston:
“It’s been a pretty relentless attack,” Garver said. “You have to beat us in the strike zone. The biggest thing in postseason is putting the ball in play, working counts, but swinging at good pitches. We need to continue that, having a really good approach one through nine.”
The Rangers are arguably the hottest offensive team left in these playoffs. They're currently hitting .282 in five games with a .865 OPS and scoring over six runs per game. The Astros staff has their work cut out for them but so does Texas. The Astros' lineup is full of experienced bats who know what it takes to succeed on this stage. Nathan Eovaldi, Jordan Montgomery, and Andrew Heaney have all pitched well so far though and it does appear Max Scherzer is going to return for the ALCS.
This all-Texas clash should be a doozy.
