Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros

It seemed that both Texas and Houston would be facing each other in the Postseason. With how both teams approached the trade deadline, they were both going all-in to get to the World Series. The Rangers didn’t have any trouble with Baltimore in the Division Series as they swept the Orioles in 3-games. Corey Seager was at the forefront of that charge with a .333 batting average, but was constantly on base with 9 walks and 0 strikeouts. Mitch Garver drove in 7 runs with a .400 batting average in the two games he played. Josh Jung led the team with a .417 batting average and Adolis Garcia batted .357 and drove in 4 runs. Marcus Semien and Jonah Heim were relatively quiet, but combined to drive in 3 runs. Evan Carter continued his impressive Postseason with a .300 batting average in the Division Series. Nathan Eovaldi slammed the door shut in the clinching game against Baltimore. He struck out 7 in his 7 innings of work. Andrew Heaney was solid in his Game 1 start. Jordan Montgomery struggled in his lone start, but Texas hopes that was just a fluke going forward. Jose Leclerc saved one game in his 3 appearances. Aroldis Chapman and Josh Sborz didn’t allow a run in their 2 appearances between them. They combined to allow only 1 hit. Cody Bradford was masterful in Game 2 allowing only 3 hits in 3-2/3 innings and getting the win in the process. Texas will have Jon Gray and Max Scherzer available for the ALCS.

Houston has now appeared in their 7th consecutive Championship Series. A large part of why they are here once again is because of their pitching staff. Cristian Javier pitched a 5-inning shutout in his lone start in the Division Series. Justin Verlander also pitched a shutout in 6-innings of work in his lone start. Jose Urquidy won his start going 5-2/3 innings allowing 2 runs and striking out 6. Framber Valdez struggled in his start getting the only loss of the Division Series against Minnesota. They’ll need him to bounce back in the ALCS. Bryan Abreu allowed only 2-hits and struck out 7 batters in his 3 appearances in the ALDS. Phil Maton and Rafael Montero were also solid in their 2 appearances with Ryan Pressly notching 2-saves in his 2 appearances. The lineup got increased production from the likes of Jose Abreu who led the team with 8-RBI and 3 home runs in the ALDS. Yordan Alvarez led the way with 4 home runs and 6-RBI while batting .438. Chas McCormick batted .364 and Mauricio Dubon batted .400. Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena and Kyle Tucker were relatively quiet, but they all contributed at key moments during the ALDS.

Astros in 6 games

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The hottest team in the Postseason so far has been located in Arizona. They trailed in both games for the Wild Card Series, but rallied to get the sweep. They never trailed in their sweep of their division rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. Corbin Carroll continued his strong Postseason run with a .300 batting average against LA. He drove in 2 runs and added a home run as well. Christian Walker drove in 3 runs for the series. Gabriel Moreno drove in 5 runs with a .273 batting average for Arizona. Tommy Pham and Ketel Marte batted .429 and .357 respectively in the NLDS. Geraldo Perdomo struggled in the series, but started off the home run fest in Game 3 with a solo shot. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Alek Thomas were key contributors as well driving in 4 runs combined between them. Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen set the tone for the D’Backs in the first two games. Both of them got the wins in their starts and combined to strikeout 9 batters. Arizona’s bullpen has been a large part of their Postseason success. Kevin Ginkel didn’t allow a hit in his 2 appearances in the NLDS. Joe Mantiply did the same and got the win for the series clincher in Game 3. Paul Sewald saved two games in his 2 appearances. Andrew Saalfrank is becoming a secret weapon of sorts for the bullpen getting big outs at key moments.

I’ll get the Phillies lineup in a moment, but a lot of credit needs to go to the pitching staff. They held one of the best lineups in baseball in check for the entire NLDS. If not for a ferocious comeback by Atlanta in Game 2, Philadelphia would have easily swept the Braves. Zack Wheeler just continues to dominate with a 10-strikeout performance in Game 2 of the NLDS. Aaron Nola likewise had a strong start for the Phillies striking out 9 in his lone start with a victory to boot. Ranger Suarez started two games in the NLDS, getting a win in one of them. He had 6 strikeouts allowing only 4 hits and giving up one run in his 8-2/3 innings of work. The Phillies bullpen was masterful with Jose Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez and Matt Strahm shutting the door on Atlanta in their 3 appearances apiece. Orion Kerkering likewise did the same in his 2 appearances. Craig Kimbrel got one save against his former team with Strahm getting a save as well in Game 4 to seal the deal. The lineup in Philadelphia has been red hot. Nick Castellanos batted .467 with 4 solo home runs in the NLDS. Bryce Harper batted .462 with 3 home runs and drove in 5 runs. Trea Turner added 2 solo home runs and batted .471. Even Brandon Marsh had a great NLDS batting .417 with a solo home run. J.T. Realmuto drove in 5 runs and Bryson Stott drove in 2. Alec Bohm and Kyle Schwarber struggled, but they are expected to bounce back for the NLCS.

Phillies in 6 games