Three Reasons the Houston Astros are in the Drivers Seat of the ALDS

3 of 4

Could the Astros win the ALDS in four games?

Oct 9, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Houston Astros right fielder George Springer hits a two RBI single against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning in game two of the ALDS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The word on the street recently is that the Houston Astros aren’t feeling the pressure to win like other teams are because they were not supposed to be here in the first place. What they have accomplished this year going from a 92 loss team to an 86 win team that made the playoffs, whatever happens from here is icing on top of the cake. The Astros fought hard at the end of the season to make it in the postseason, and that momentum has carried over into the Wild-Card game and game 1 of the ALDS Series. They sputtered a little last night as the lost 5-4 to Kansas City Royals.

More from Astros News

However, this team is not satisfied just making the ALDS, they want to ride “Hustle Town” all the way to the World Series. Some fans might have seen last night’s loss as the turning or the momentum in the series, but it’s hard to win two road games in the playoffs. The Rangers managed to do so in Toronto, but that is not the norm in the playoffs. It would have been nice to come back to Houston with a 2-0 lead in the best of five series, but a 1-1 tie is not a bad place to be at coming home in the playoffs. I wanted to take a second to look at three reasons I think the Astros will win this series in four games.

Next: Reason 1: Home field advantage

Reason 1: Home field advantage

Aug 31, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Fans celebrate after Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel (not pictured) makes a fielding play against the Seattle Mariners in the second inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Astros technically have home field advantage at this point versus the Royals, with three games remaining, the Astros play two of them at home. Home is the place with the train in the outfield filled with fake oranges, a hill in the outfield that’s time is ending, and the crowd full of mostly orange or navy blue shirts or jerseys filled with H-Town Pride! While the Astros’ fans have not really been there all year-long because the team needed to work its way back into the circle of trust for Houston after three years of having the number one picks. I think winning the Wild-Card game versus the Yankees have opened the eyes of Houston back to baseball.

The Astros finished the season 22nd in baseball in attendance with an average of 26,587 fans per game. Despite the low attendance figures, Minute Maid Park has been a great place for the Astros in 2015. According the ESPN’s standings, the Astros finished tied for the best home record with the Blue Jays at a 53-28 mark. The Astros seem to be more comfortable at MMP as the AL leading team in ERA posted a 3.22 mark at home and 3.95 ERA on the road. The Astros pitchers average a strikeout more a game at home (8.5) versus the road (7.5), so something about Houston gives the Astros the extra motivation.

As I wrote recently, Morgan Ensberg said that the Astros’ fans need to drink plenty of Red Bull prior to the game and rock MMP in Sunday’s game. These young Astros players need the same support that the 2005 Astros received during their deep run into the playoffs. You can read the full piece here: Houston Astros: The Players Need Fans’ Support, Be Loud!

Also, we need to make MMP look like as sea of orange and navy blue shirts like we saw from the royal blue stands we witnessed at Kaufman Stadium the past two games. Get off your phone unless you are communicating with @astrosCTH through Twitter and stand up and be loud. When the roof is closed, it is an unbelievable experience. Remember the Albert Pujols home run off Brad Lidge, the crowd was so loud and then died immediately when the ball was hit.

Next: Reason 2: Dallas Keuchel

Reason 2: Dallas Keuchel

Oct 6, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel (60) throws against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning in the American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

The Astros have not pitched their best pitcher in the series yet, but that is soon to change with the Royals facing the most likely Cy Young candidate in Keuchel. Not only has Keuchel won 20 games this season, but he is also a perfect 15-0 during home games this season and 5-8 away from MMP (from Baseball-Reference). This time of dominance doesn’t often happen with a 1.46 ERA at home and an average 3.77 ERA during away games. The Astros have done a great job marketing Keuchel this season creating Keuchel’s corner, and I’m sure they will be out there supporting him in orange tomorrow.

Who did the Astros go to when they needed the must win in the Wild-Card game? Why of course, the bearded one despite it being a road game on short rest. The Astros kept Keuchel at 94 pitches during that performance in New York and pegged him to start game three in Houston. Keuchel had a good knack of following up a loss to the team by stepping up his game to not continue the losing streaks. Should the Astros win Keuchel’s start Sunday, it puts the extra pressure on the Royals to win the following day versus Lance McCullers Jr. in Houston.

Next: Reason 3: Colby Rasmus and the rest of Crush City

Reason 3: Colby Rasmus and the rest of Crush City

Oct 9, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Colby Rasmus reacts after hitting a solo home run against the Kansas City Royals in the third inning in game two of the ALDS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier I wrote about how Rasmus is propelling the Astros offense as he has driven in the first Astros runs in the first three games this postseason. You can read the article here: The Houston Astros’ Colby Rasmus is Turning Heads in the Playoffs. Rasmus has hit three homers and a double in three games so far this postseason, and they have all been majestic shots if which probably even surprises Rasmus.

I wanted to present the main evidence as given by CTH writer Aric Cisneros the other day in his piece: Houston Astros: Three hitters to focus on in the ALDS. Look at the stats below for Rasmus’ stats compared to team wins or loses in 2015.

In wins (73)- .312/.386/.684 23 HRs

In losses (64) – .154/.227/.234 2 HRs

When Rasmus struggles in any given game, the team lost 64 of those games. However, when Rasmus was hitting well or hitting Colby Jacks, the Astros got 73 wins of their 83 wins with his support. Despite the great game at the plate for Rasmus on Friday in the loss, he still made the most of his plate appearances.