The ALCS returns to Houston tonight for Game 6, with the Astros one win shy of reaching their third World Series in the last five years.
The game is on FS1 and will start at 8 eastern.
After splitting the first two games in Houston, the series shifted to Boston, where the Red Sox annihilated the Astros in Game 3, but had the script flipped on them in Games 4 and 5.
Will the Red Sox keep their season alive, or will the Astros put them away?
To start, Houston has been the best team in the AL for the past five seasons, like it or not. They’ll have Luis Garcia on the mound tonight, looking to punch their ticket to the Fall Classic. Garcia has struggled this postseason, allowing 5 runs in Game 3 of the ALDS and having a repeat performance in Game 2 of this series. But he had a solid regular season, going 11-8 with a 3.48 ERA. Perhaps the third time’s a charm for him this postseason.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Boston is hardly in uncharted territory. They’ll turn to Nathan Eovaldi, who was solid for them in Game 2. He’s also been a solid pitcher in the postseason for them the past few times they’ve been there. He played an instrumental role in the team’s 2018 championship run, but he did struggle in his relief outing in Game 4 of this series. It’s worth noting that the Red Sox have come back from ALCS deficits before.
Of course, there was the unforgettable comeback from 3-0 against the Yankees in 2004. They also trailed the Indians 3-1 in the 2007 ALCS before coming back to win the series. They won the Wild Card game against the Yankees too to advance to the ALDS.
Houston’s bats have come alive while the Boston’s have seemingly quieted. With the series back in Houston, the ball should carry in the warmer weather, and there’s no green monster in play.
Prediction
So it’s an experienced veteran against an up-and-coming star. It could go either way. It should be a fun matchup. Houston’s bats are hot and they have momentum coming home. They now know they can hit Eovaldi, and perhaps Garcia conquers his postseason demons. Houston will win 6-4 and advance to the World Series.
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