The American League Championship Series will be a classic Texas showdown to determine who will represent the junior circuit in the World Series. We all expected that to happen on opening day, right?
Although the Texas Rangers stumbled in the postseason, their five-game winning streak moved them from the lowest playoff seed in the American League to just four wins away from winning the pennant. The Houston Astros weren’t as dominant as they have been in the regular season, but they still had a strong showing in the Division Series with the AL West title on the line, winning the series 3-1 over the Minnesota Twins. . .
So which Texas team will compete for all the marbles? We polled 23 people The AthleticWe asked MLB experts for their opinions on who will advance and who will vow revenge next spring.
Houston Astros (2) vs. Texas Rangers (6)
ALCS staff predictions
team | Voter turnout |
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61% |
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39% |
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Katie Wu (Texas): This is our dream manager matchup, and if we clear Max Scherzer, it will also be our dream pitcher matchup. There’s no true front-runner in this series, but it’s hard to ignore how dominant Texas was this October. When it’s hot, it’s hot, and there’s no team hotter than the Rangers right now.
Eno Sallis (Texas): The Rangers lineup is inevitable. Just as importantly, the Rangers are taking advantage of the Nationals’ roadmap to slim down their pitching staff to a few reliable arms, and it looks like we’ll have a Max Scherzer and Willis Reed moment again in this series. It does.
Sahadeb Sharma (Texas): Is it sane to play the Astros in the postseason? Probably, but it’s also boring to pick and the Rangers are rolling.
Will Sammon (Houston): Every year, people try to discourage us from picking the Astros. Yet they seem to come here every year. Normally I rely on numbers with these picks, but Houston seems to be capitalizing on something that makes it happen at exactly the right time. The Astros’ experience should come in handy in what should be a fun series. Plus, we should be on track to have another World Series winner, right?
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Stephen J. Nesbitt (Houston): The Astros won nine of the 13 games they played against the Rangers during the regular season, including six of the last seven. And my crystal ball here is saying that the Rangers’ pitching, which has been great this postseason, is going to fall apart a little bit over the course of seven straight games. The Rangers lineup is formidable and firing on all cylinders. they have power. they have speed.they have two Catcher to mash. The Rangers’ hitters can, and probably will, make life miserable for the Astros’ pitching staff. But the Astros’ lineup is now on the move, and all they need to do is jump on Jordan Montgomery or Nathan Eovaldi early and allow the Rangers to scramble to readjust their pitching scheme.
Chad Jennings (Texas): The Astros have been so consistent every postseason that it’s hard to bet against them. However, the Rangers have invested heavily in recent years and it feels like all that investment is coming to fruition at the right time and paying off. There’s also talk about Nathan Eovaldi in October. I feel like that person is a game-changer for me.
Patrick Mooney (Houston): Even as free agents leave, managers and executives leave, the Astros continue to win.
Sam Blum (Texas): I’ve played the Rangers the last two series and they haven’t lost in the playoffs yet. Their attacks click. The infamous bullpen performed well in the postseason as well. There’s only one star in this state, and that’s going to be the Rangers.
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Tyler Kepner (Texas): This should be a great matchup between two teams from the Lone Star State that can compete with Texas-sized confidence. Bruce Bochy has never lost in the LCS (4-0 in San Diego and San Francisco), so I’m going to give his Rangers the edge in the seventh inning.
Jason Stark (Texas): I know I’ve seen Bruce Bochy’s teams lose in postseason series, but it’s hard to remember. He keeps the team ready to play. And I think this version of the Rangers is the most complete and dangerous version we’ve seen this year. So Texas is now on their seventh win in a great series.
Grant Brisby (Texas): Bruce Bochy is no magician, but he is a good manager. I watched him win with the Giants. Dusty Baker is no magician, but he is a great manager. I never saw him win with the Giants. This is lazy analysis, and you may think it is, but there is no point in acting as if you can escape confirmation bias. I say lie back and enjoy. It’s an incredible toboggan ride.
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Chris Kirshner (Houston): The Rangers are hiring Aroldis Chapman. By law, if he is employed by a team that plays the Astros in the playoffs, that team cannot advance.
Chris Strauss (Houston): Astros. October.
Levi Weaver (Texas): I got backlash for (correctly) picking the wrong Orioles to beat the Rangers, so I won’t make the same mistake again. So far this postseason, the Texas offense seems unstoppable. The Astros are (and still are) the team to beat, but the mojo is on the Rangers’ side for now.
Melissa Lockard (Texas): The last two series were against the Rangers. I won’t make the same mistake a third time.
Ken Rosenthal (Texas): Feel like this is their time…whatever that means!
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(Alex Bregman (left) and Marcus Semien pictured above: Logan Lilley/Getty Images)