The battle for the American League pennant continues on Wednesday with Game 5 of the ALCS between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox. The Astros on Tuesday took Game 4 of the best-of-seven series, which is now tied at two games apiece.
You can view the full postseason schedule by clicking here. Now let’s get to the important stuff for Game 5.
How to watch
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 20 | Time: 5:08 p.m. ET
Location: Fenway Park (Boston, Massachusetts)
TV channel: FS1 | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Odds: TBD
Starting pitchers: LHP Framber Valdez (11-6, 3.14 ERA) vs. LHP Chris Sale (5-1, 3.16 ERA)
Preview
This battle of lefties is a rematch of Game 1, which the Astros won by a score of 5-4. In that one, Valdez struggled, as he permitted three runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked three. Across the way, Sale wasn’t much better. He gave up one run on five hits in 2 2/3 innings with two strikeouts and a walk. Houston badly needs some length out of Valdez in Game 5, as his Game 1 start is the longest of any Astros starter during the ALCS. On top of that, the Astros’ rotation is beset by injuries at the moment.
During the regular season, both offenses were adept at handling lefties. However, the Astros were a bit better than the Red Sox in that regard. They ranked fourth in MLB with an OPS of .788 against left-handers, while the Red Sox ranked eighth with OPS of .758 against lefty pitching.
Prediction
The guess here is that Valdez gives the Astros the innings they so badly need, and they’ll head back to Houston up 3-2 in the series. Carlos Correa has a big game.
Pick: Astros 6, Red Sox 3
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