Why The Astros-Indians Game Today Seems More Important Than Most Mid-May Games

The Astros numbers so far are the stuff of pennant winners. They have:

  • The best record in Major League Baseball
  • Won almost 70 percent of their games
  • Baseball's best starting pitcher in Dallas Keuchel, who is 7-0 with a 1.84 ERA
  • The best staff ERA in the American League
  • The most strikeouts in the the majors
  • The most hits in the American League
  • An amazing record of 18-7 against the rest of the American League West

They look like the Supermen of the American League. But while it's still only mid-May, the Astros' Kryptomite seems already apparent: the Cleveland Indians, also known as the defending American League champions. .

While this afternoon's game in Houston is just one of 162, it's a long season, blah blah blah, it seems a tad more important than the usual mid-May game. Why? Because if the Astros lose it, they will have lost both series to the Indians this year, no matter what happens on Sunday.

On the other hand, if the Astros win today and Sunday, the season series between the two clubs will stand at 3-3.

That seems like a kinda, sorta big deal when these two clubs - along with the Baltimore Orioles (and, to a lesser extent, the New York Yankees) - have emerged as the clear favorites for the pennant. These things can matter come October. If you've proven you can beat a team already, it makes it easier to think you can do it again. \

And the opposite is true, as well. If you can't win a series during the season, how can you win one during the playoffs? Of course that kind of thinking is false, unscientific and has plenty of examples in history to contradict it. But still...teams are made up of human beings, not statistical charts.

Today and Sunday are the last two times the teams will face each other in the regular season.

So while no means the end of the world or even an accurate predictor for what will happen down the road, today's game seems important.

The teams take the field in a little less than an hour, with the Astros Mike Fiers on the mound against the Indians Mike Clevinger.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

American League West Teams Ranked By Payroll 2017

If money changes everything, then how much does it affect your position where it counts - in the standings? The 2017 team payroll numbers are now available. Several sources exist, I went with the numbers from Spotrac. But before getting into what each American League West club is spending, let's look at the money vs. results for the past few years. Return On Investment In the AL West Here's what the American League West clubs spent by team last season. These numbers include the active 25-man roster, plus money wrapped up in players on the DL and money paid to players no longer on the team. The money spent on active players is in parentheses. Los Angeles Angels - $180.7 million ($89.8 million) Texas Rangers - $168.5 million ($134.7 million) Seattle Mariners - $154.7 million ($131.8 million) Houston Astros - $114.7 million ($75.4 million) Oakland Athletics - $99.9 million ($27.8 million) And the final 2016 standings: Texas Rangers: 95-67 Seattle Mariners : 86...
Read more

Weekend Long Reads: Mike Trout Is Exactly As Amazing As You Think He Is. Actually, More.

Political junkies and stat fanatics have long read the 538 site, where the famed statistician Nate Silver serves as editor-in-chief. The site has been a Mike Trout fan, but this month they laid down some startling statistics. Basically, he's the next best thing to Babe Ruth. Literally. Based on Trout's Wins Above Replacement, he's second all-time only to Ruth. They also take a look at how Trout adjusts when pitchers develop new approaches to getting him out. The short version: The new approach doesn't work very long. You can read the whole thing here . Despite rumors of its demise, baseball, as it turns out, is doing just fine, thank you. For the start of the new season, Forbes ran down the estimated value of all 30 Major League Baseball teams,.The average value of all the teams is $1.54 billion. That's almost 20 percent more than 2016. Four of The American League West teams are in the Top 14. You can probably guess the fifth. But, hey, the value of the A's in...
Read more

Thursday April 20: Astros Widen Gap, Who Will Emerge To Challenge Them? Anyone? Anyone? Hello?

The Astros continue to distance themselves from the pack. After beating the Angels on Wednesday night behind another precision performance from Dallas Keuchel, the Astros are three games ahead of the A's and already five games ahead of their bitter rival, the Rangers. They have the most wins in the American League and a fired up fan base. Which team in the sub-.500 group can emerge to challenge them? A look at each club and links below. 1. Astros (10-5) The starting rotation is really the only major concern for the Astros at the moment. Keuchel looks like Diego Velaquez out there, a controlled master painting the corners, changing speeds, keeping everyone off balance,. Lance McCuller and Charlie Morton have looked good so far, but the four and five slots are troubling. That said, they are a 10-5 ball club with this lineup. In the short term, they have earned at least a split in the four-game series with the Angels and go for the series win today with McCullers on the mound. ...
Read more