Blue Jays vs. Astros: Full series preview and pitching matchups
By Lucas Silva
Across the Diamond: Houston Astros
On the offensive side of things, the Astros are very top-heavy. George Springer, Jose Altuve, and Carlos Correa are three of the most dynamic, young, and talented players in the league, and they have a chance to win by putting those three at the top of the lineup every game. However, after those three, there is much to be desired.
Veterans Colby Rasmus, Evan Gattis, Jason Castro, and Marwin Gonzalez fail to provide any large problems for opposing pitchers, as of them have been hitting at well below league average. Youngsters Tyler White, Jake Marisnick, and Preston Tucker haven’t been able to live up to expectations and grow into full time players.
The only real threat besides the big three is Luis Valbuena, who is using excellent plate discipline and sneaky pop to put together a 120 wRC+. Unless the Astros get contributions from A.J. Reed or Alex Bregman, which is very much a possibility as they get settled in the major leagues, I can’t see the Astros lineup providing much force against the Jays.
With that being said, the Astros are coming off back to back games in which they scored 15 and 10 runs, so perhaps I’m underestimating their offence slightly, but those games were largely led by the big three.
Blue Jays pitchers need to be aggressive, just like they’ve been all year, but against a lineup like this, it isn’t a horrible idea to pitch around Altuve, Springer and Correa if the at-bats warrant it.
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