Farmer1906 said:

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Call your shot. Does Hinch bring in a lefty this series to face Yordan & Tucker only to get destroyed?

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What's the quality of their lefties?

Beat40 said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Call your shot. Does Hinch bring in a lefty this series to face Yordan & Tucker only to get destroyed?

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What's the quality of their lefties?

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does it matter?

EastCoastAgNc said:

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Astros lineup:

Altuve 2B
Alvarez DH
Tucker RF
Bregman 3B
Diaz C
Peña SS
Caratini 1B
Dubón LF
Meyers CF

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 1, 2024

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Thats a solid lineup

Beat40 said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Call your shot. Does Hinch bring in a lefty this series to face Yordan & Tucker only to get destroyed?

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What's the quality of their lefties?

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Tyler Holton is a stud. He's one of their 4 closers.

It's a little funny the early day game is on ABC while the rest of the slate is on ESPN(s).

That's the programming ABC can afford to give up, the rest is too valuable.

Farmer1906 said:

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Beat40 said:

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Farmer1906 said:

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Call your shot. Does Hinch bring in a lefty this series to face Yordan & Tucker only to get destroyed?

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What's the quality of their lefties?

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Tyler Holton is a stud. He's one of their 4 closers.

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Then I could see Hinch brining him in if Tucker starts the inning or a Meyers-Altuve-Yordan situation.

Most likely to me would happen for the gamble of bringing him in against Tucker if he's starting the inning to have him also face Bregman and Diaz.

The Houston Chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced the 2024 Astros award winners as below:

• Astros MVP - LF Yordan Alvarez

• Astros Pitcher of the Year - RHP Ronel Blanco

• Astros Rookie of the Year - RHP Spencer Arrighetti

• Darryl Kile Good…

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 1, 2024

EastCoastAgNc said:

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Reminder, in the playoffs, there is no automatic runner at second base in extra innings. Astros carried two starters in the bullpen with Blanco and Arrighetti and they have two lefties, which will help them with some matchup stuff.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 1, 2024

I really hope we never see Turd Ferguson...aka the Trojan Turd.

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I pray he's on this roster in case one gets away from us he would eat innings.

I immediately questioned not having Verlander on the roster but he wouldn't start regardless in a three game series and I doubt they want him out of the pen in the WC and mess up his routine or possibly hurt him. Plenty of fresh arms

Lol on the starter ZIPs picked, but still good to see.

Talkin Baseball Predictions
Jake: Astros lose to Yanks in ALCS
Trev: Astros lose to Phils in WS

Farmer1906 said:

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Talkin Baseball Predictions
Jake: Astros lose to Yanks in ALCS
Trev: Astros lose to Phils in WS

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Those are the two predictions I've been tossing around as well.

ESPN WC Predictions
We asked 27 of our MLB experts -- from ESPN.com, TV, ESPN Research and more -- to give us their predictions.
Astros 22
Tigers 5

The Athletic WS Predictions
Astros: 10.50 % of the vote (tied in 3rd with Cleveland & LAD)

Quote:

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Andy McCullough (Houston): They have the best starting rotation. They have a championship core. This is what the Astros do.

Fabian Ardaya (Houston): I mean, they've made it this point. And once the Astros get let into the dance, they tend to go far.

Chandler Rome (San Diego): The Padres are the most complete team in the sport.

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MLB.com WC Predictions
In advance of these intriguing matchups, we asked a number of MLB.com experts to weigh in and make their predictions on how the first round of the 2024 playoffs will turn out. Check out their picks for each series below.

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Tigers (6) at Astros (3)
The pick: Astros

In search of their eighth straight AL Championship Series appearance and third World Series title since 2017, the Astros are the clear favorites over the upstart Tigers, who made an improbable late-season run to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

The Tigers were 10 games out of a playoff spot entering play on Aug. 11, but they closed the season on a 31-13 run to grab the third AL Wild Card berth. Detroit has the momentum on its side, and it also has ace pitcher Tarik Skubal, who won the AL pitching Triple Crown with 18 wins, a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts.

However, our voters think the Astros' home-field advantage and October experience will be too much for the Tigers to overcome, even with the questions surrounding Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez's sprained right knee. The Astros had a tough road of their own to reach the postseason, coming back from a 10-game deficit in the AL West through June 18 to win the division.

"The Astros know how to turn it on in October, and even with the uncertainty surrounding Alvarez, I just don't see them losing two out of three at home." -- David Venn, reporter

"The Astros' home-field advantage and sheer volume of playoff experience give them the edge." -- Michael Reynolds, producer

"The Tigers are a terrific story. The Astros are battle tested, and the better team." -- Anthony DiComo, reporter

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From what I can tell, the Padres seem to be the trendy pick. ots of NY and PHI love too. Dodgers ar kind of going under the radar if that is possible. No one seems to be in on the Os or Brewcrew even with the bye.

Faustus said:

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It's a little funny the early day game is on ABC while the rest of the slate is on ESPN(s).

That's the programming ABC can afford to give up, the rest is too valuable.

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I guess we're lucky the game's not at 9:00am to replace The View...

Farmer1906 said:

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From what I can tell, the Padres seem to be the trendy pick. ots of NY and PHI love too. Dodgers ar kind of going under the radar if that is possible. No one seems to be in on the Os or Brewcrew even with the bye.

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Makes since why the Padres are the trendy pick. They've been on a ridiculous tear, their starting pitching is really good, the bullpen is lights out, and their offense is clicking.

The thing is, we've seen what happens to really good bullpens in the post season when they are used too much. We know an offense can get shutdown by good pitching.

The Dodgers have to be loving the spot they're in. If they had the right manager, them seemingly falling under the radar would make them ultra dangerous.

Ag_07 said:

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Absolutely he's in play for an upcoming series.

It just made no sense for this short 3 gamer (hopefully 2 gamer FOR US).

Not surprised at all.

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FIFY - he's sorry baseball gods.