4 ways the Astros could blow it and lose to the Rangers in the ALCS

Houston probably can't win without a big series from Yordan Alvarez

Speaking of Yordan Alvarez, how about the postseason this guy is having. After a 2023 regular season where he slashed .293/.407/.583 with 31 homers despite missing a big chunk of time with an injury, Yordan has put up a staggering 1.784 OPS in the playoffs with four homers already. If you want to circle one name on the Astros' roster that was THE key to Houston taking down the Twins, it would be Alvarez.

This shouldn't be all that surprising as Yordan is just one of those guys that thrives under the bright lights. In his career, Alvarez has an .895 OPS with 10 homers in his career and at this point, it is hard to call it a small sample size. Every time he steps into the box, there is a chance that he can change the course of a game with one swing of his bat.

For the Astros to have a chance against Texas in the ALCS, they are going to need him to play a big part. We have seen playoff series (like the 2021 World Series against the Braves) where he struggled and when that happens, the Houston offense can struggle to fill the void. He doesn't necessarily have to carry the offensive load completely by himself, but he is going to need to be in the thick of things.