MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Houston Astros Closer Ryan Pressly struck out the side to close out the Twins and made the ALCS Texas Showdown official. The day after the Texas Rangers finished the sweep over the Baltimore Orioles, the Astros eliminated the Minnesota Twins 3-2 in Game 4 of the ALDS.
Starting pitcher Jose Uriquidy allowed two runs over 5 ⅔ innings before Bryan Abreau and Ryan Pressly held the Twins scoreless to close out the game. Jose Abreau hit a 2-run shot in the fourth inning to give the Astros a 3-1 lead, and Houston never looked back.
The Astros now move into the ALCS against their division rivals, the Texas Rangers. The Rangers are arguably the hottest team in baseball at the moment after sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card and then another sweep against the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS. Neither team has ever faced each other in the postseason before, and the Rangers and the Astros are about as evenly matched as two teams can get this season.
The Rangers and the Astros finished the regular season with a 90-72 overall record. These two evenly-matched Titans square off, with the Rangers holding a slight edge at the plate but Houston holding the edge on the mound. Houston held the head-to-head tiebreaker at 9-4 over Texas and ultimately won the division.
Houston Astros and Texas Rangers
(Credit: crawfishboxes.com)
Texas hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016. Houston, on the other hand, has now made seven straight American League Championship Series in a row.
"They know us, and we know them," Astros manager Dusty Baker said, "and it's going to be a heck of a series."
The Astros Justin Verlander will be on the mound for Houston in Game 1, scheduled for Sunday, October 15, at Minute Maid Park in Houston. It is not confirmed yet, but the Rangers will likely throw LHP Jordan Montgomery. The first pitch time is still TBD.
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