MLB: Preview: Aces in the Sleeve & Chess in the Bullpen

The MLB playoffs are going into the next round!The American League Division Series kicks off on Thursday with the Houston Astros’ duel against the Boston Red Sox.That same evening, the Cleveland Indians will receive the record champion, the New York Yankees.Who has the better chances of making it to the league finals?SPOX dares to make forecasts.

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Starting position: After missing the playoffs last season due to the false start, the Astros in 2017 set the course for the postseason early on.That’s how strong a troop of manager A. J.’s men were.Hinch, that the lead in the AL West took on absurd dimensions, and before the All-Star Break, experts were eagerly discussing who is better now: the Astros or the Dodgers.Just offensively, Houston was a power driven by Second Baseman and MVP favorite Jose Altuve.

In the summer, the Indians were able to make a comeback, not least because stars like Shortstop Carlos Correa dropped out in the meantime – and suddenly the Indians passed with their 22 victories in a row.But this should not hide the fact that the Astros are strong and have arrived in the postseason with plenty of tailwind. 14 of the last 17 games have been won, newcomer Justin Verlander has aroused new euphoria in Houston.

The Red Sox defended their title in the AL East for the first time in their history, but it was not easy because of the surprisingly unruly Yankees.Contrary to the rest of the league, the Red Sox didn’t trend towards “homeruns, home runs and even more home runs”.Instead, much emphasis was placed on the dynamics of the young and wild in the offense.In the meantime, one or two top performers of the past season, such asCy-young winner Rick Porcello, clearly down.

Overall, the Red Sox Nation’s mood is not very good, especially since they lost three out of four games against Houston in the last series of the regular season.But manager John Farrell now knows what to expect of him and his troops.And it’s not like Boston doesn’t have any strengths: Ace Chris Sale is the strikeout king, the Bullpen is strong, the Defense is strong as well.

Players to watch: With the Astros all eyes are on Justin Verlander.The 34-year-old seemed doomed to waste the late autumn of his career in the rebuild of the Detroit Tigers – but then he was sent to Houston, just minutes before the end of the play-off cadre deadline on 31 March.August.

Since then, Model Kate Upton’s better half has been a completely new person: in five starts for his new team, he only allowed four runs (all through solo homeruns), which meant a microscopic ERA of 1.06.His fastball sometimes still gets close to 100 miles, he’s the perfect mix of ace and workhorse, so he can easily throw 100+ pitches and stay in the game for a long time.

On the other side, everyone agrees: If the Red Sox want a chance, it has to be Chris Sale.The skinny Lefty, who came from Chicago before the season, got along beautifully in Boston and set MLB best marks for innings and strikeouts, especially his slider gave the opposing lineup nightmares.

Since the remaining rotation of the Red Sox doesn’t really knock anybody off their feet, the games with Sale on the Mound have to win.Farrell has indicated that despite “Short Rest”, Farrell has not in vain indicated that he will also be using him in Game Four of the series.But be careful: If Sale is in a good mood, the hitter can pack up.The 28-year-old, however, had one or two dropouts in the second half of the season…

Prognosis: The Verlander – Sale duel is drawn on paper.After that, the Astros with Dallas pertussel have another ace up their sleeve, however, which goes off the Red Sox.In addition, the lineup with Altuve, Correa or lead-off hitter George Springer has much more power to offer than the one from Beantown.The Red Sox have advantages in the bullpen, especially with ex-starter David Price, but what good is that if the starters are beaten up early on?Astros in 4.

Page 1: Houston Astros vs.Boston Red Sox

Page 2: Cleveland Indians vs.New York Yankees