3 Astros bats that need to come to life in Fenway for ALCS


The Houston Astros need these three players to produce at the plate for their next three games against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

The Houston Astros took Game 1 of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox after what turned out to be a game-winning, solo home run by shortstop Carlos Correa. But on Saturday, Game 2 was over just as it got started, as the Red Sox took an early 8-0 lead in the second inning, leading to a 9-5 victory to tie the series up.

Now, the Astros will go on the road to face off the Red Sox at Fenway Park for the next three games. Make no mistake about it, these are must-win games for Houston (duh). Given the injuries to their pitching staff, the Astros will have to keep up on the scoreboard to stand a chance.

For that to happen, they will need these three bats to come to life beginning on Monday night for Game 3.

Jose Altuve

Jose Altuve was effective in Game 1 of the ALCS. Well, besides that fielding error. He hit a game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth.

The same could not be said in Game 2. The star second baseman went 0-for-5 at the plate and did not draw a walk. The good thing is that he didn’t strike out, so that’s a plus? Overall, Altuve is 1-for-8 while recording three RBI, a strikeout and a walk.

For the Astros to thrive, they need Altuve’s bat to come to life like it has in their past postseason runs. If not, Houston may very well have a problem getting some wins in Boston.

Michael Brantley

Michael Brantley was reportedly on the verge of joining the Toronto Blue Jays last offseason before agreeing to re-sign with the Astros on a two-year deal. He had a pretty good regular season, where he recorded a .311 batting average and a .799 OPS. But in the postseason, Brantley has not done much.

In Game 1, Brantley recorded one hit, a single in the bottom of the fifth inning, in five at-bats. He also struck out once in the game. For Game 2, Brantley went 0-for-4 at the plate, and like Altuve, did not record a strikeout.

Given that Brantley is in the top of the batting order, he needs to get more hits on the stat sheet. Let’s not forget that he went 7-for-19 with four RBI recorded in the Division Series against the Chicago White Sox.

Martin Maldonado

Martin Maldonado is not only having a bad ALCS, but he is in the midst of a bad postseason in the batter’s box.

In their four games against the White Sox in the Division Series, Maldonado went a combined 1-for-15 in the batter’s box, with the lone hit being an RBI single in Game 4. Through the first two games against Boston, Maldonado struck out once while going 0-for-4.

Given that Maldonado is the No. 9 hitter and leads into the top of the order, he needs to either get a hit or draw a walk in the next three games in Boston. Even if he’s a defense-first player, going hitless makes him a liability against an offensive team like the Red Sox.



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