Although the Houston Astros were unable to clinch a playoff berth with a win of their own Sunday, they still qualified for an American League Wild Card Game showdown with the New York Yankees.
Thanks to the Los Angeles Angels' loss to the Texas Rangers, Houston is the second team from the AL West to qualify for the postseason despite a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks, setting up a win-or-go-home scenario in the Bronx against pro baseball's most decorated franchise.
The high-stakes contest between the Astros and New York Yankees will take place Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET and be televised on ESPN. Read on for a breakdown of the marquee matchup.
Preview, Prediction for Astros vs. Yankees
Houston will trot out 20-game winner Dallas Keuchel on three days' rest in the AL Wild Card Game to face a Yankees lineup that produced the second-most runs in baseball.
Keuchel is an ideal fit to be the antidote ace to counter New York's explosive batting order that ranks fourth in slugging percentage. His signature sinker and slider will induce ground balls if his stuff is on, though the short rest is at least some reason for concern.
But one other factor working in Keuchel's favor is how well he's fared against the Yankees this year, posting a 2-0 record in two starts without yielding a single run and striking out 21 over 16 innings.
Masahiro Tanaka is slated to take the bump for the Yankees. Tanaka has a stellar 0.99 WHIP but is susceptible to yielding home runs, having allowed 25 on the season and 15 since the All-Star break. This could be bad news for the home team.
Five Astros players hit at least 20 home runs this season. Yankee Stadium is a hitter-friendly ballpark, so Tanaka figures to be at a significant disadvantage opposite Keuchel. Funny enough, home-field "advantage" may harm the Yankees against this particular opponent.
YES Network's Jack Curry highlighted how much New York has been struggling of late, too:
Anything can happen in one game. The playoffs also offer a different atmosphere, one the Astros are returning to for the first time in a decade. Despite the tradition of excellence on their side, New York couldn't have drawn a much worse foe for this one-game, do-or-die situation.
It isn't surprising to learn Houston held the regular-season series edge, 4-3. Keuchel was on the mound for half the victories. Perhaps that's why Astros manager A.J. Hinch expressed confidence in his team Sunday.
"It's going to take a few more wins, and we're going to have to earn them, but I'll bet on this team," Hinch said, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
In a five- or seven-game series, one may fancy the Yankees' chances and their championship experience to win out. If one were to wager on just one game with Keuchel one the mound, though, recent history suggests this contest is the Astros' to lose.
Houston's young nucleus figures to play with more naivete than nervousness on the big stage. One could argue the team has little to lose after rocketing past expectations in 2015.
It stands to reason the Yankees will do something to crack Keuchel this time around with two full games of tape to analyze. However, Keuchel will be strong enough to get the W and allow Houston to move on to the division series, where it will take on the reigning World Series runner-up Kansas City Royals.
Prediction: Astros win 4-2.
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