ALCS: Astros on Verge of Eliminating Yankees in Wild Card Game
Astros fans who watched the final day of the regular season for the first time, with no Red Sox and no Yankees, will need to do a little extra tuning up before the All-Star Break, to make sure they aren’t throwing wild pitches on the way to their seats next Wednesday.
The Astros have a four-game lead in the National League West, with a one-game advantage over the second-place Dodgers thanks to Saturday’s victory in San Diego. And they’re hoping the bullpen holds up through four games, giving them a chance to finish with the best record in the National League.
But the Astros have already lost four on the road so far this season, and their bullpen is no better on the road than it is at home.
“There will be no excuses,” Astros manager Bo Porter said. “If we hold on I think it would be a good start for us.”
And the Astros are making sure they’re ready for anything, with a rotation that has only one left-handed starter and a top-two in the bullpen.
“We’re not looking at that as an excuse,” manager Bo Porter said. “We know if we need somebody out you’re going to have somebody.”
The bullpen is strong. That’s why it was the Astros’ big offseason upgrade this offseason.
Only one Astros starter got hurt in spring training, with right-hander Jason Woodard coming down with a hamstring strain.
There’s an awful lot of strength in the Astros’ bullpen, but with the game on the line with two outs in the eighth inning of the Astros’ 4-3 victory Saturday in San Diego, and with two outs in the ninth inning of Saturday’s game in the Bronx, the bullpen let the game get away.
This is why the Astros can win.
“We are all in the same boat because we have the greatest bullpen of all time,” Astros right-hander Matt Albers said. “So