Three Houston Astros for Texas Rangers to Watch in ALCS

It hasn’t been the easiest season for the first baseman, who signed a three-year deal with the Astros in the offseason after a long career with the Chicago White Sox that saw him win an American League MVP at one point. His regular-season slash numbers don’t look great — .237/.296/.383/.680. In fact, the batting average is the lowest of his entire career. He did hit 18 home runs and 90 RBI.

But since the Astros’ last regular-season series against Arizona, something has clicked. He drove in game-winning runs in the first two games of the Arizona series, hit a home run in the finale and then drilled four home runs against Minnesota in the ALDS. His tepid regular season will be forgiven if Abreu can carry that over into the ALCS. 

The starting pitcher will face the Rangers in Game 2 and it should be an interesting matchup because Valdez has already faced the Rangers three times this season. The question is which Valdez will the Rangers see?

In his first start against the Rangers he went six innings, but gave up four hits and five runs in what became a 9-1 loss to the Rangers. Much of that wasn’t on him, as four of the runs were unearned. When they met again on June 26 in Houston, the Rangers pummeled him, as he allowed eight hits and six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in a 13-5 Astros loss. He gave up two home runs and only struck out one hitter.

But when he faced the Rangers on Sept. 5, he was exceptional, giving up six hits and one run in seven innings in a 14-1 win. He struck out four and walked four.

The Rangers have shown mastery of Valdez, and vice versa. 

It’s not breaking news that he’s been a Rangers killer since the two teams began playing each other as American League rivals a decade ago. But he missed the first two months of the season with an injury he suffered in the World Baseball Classic and didn’t get a crack at the Rangers until their second series in late June. He homered in his first at-bat against the Rangers in that series.

Altuve has been especially brutal to the Rangers at Globe Life Field this season, the homes of Games 3, 4 and 5 of the series. He hit two home runs in Arlington in the four-game series in late June and then knocked out five more against the Rangers in the three-game set there in September.

He was somewhat quiet against Minnesota, going 4-for-17 in the four-game series. He did hit a home run. But that was his only extra-base hit. The Rangers would hope to keep Altuve that quite during a best-of-seven series.