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

The Astros' bullpen cannot take their foot off the gas now

While there are certainly some arms in the Astros' bullpen that can make things far more interesting than anyone would want, overall Houston's relievers have been a source of strength this postseason. In nine appearances so far this postseason total, Bryan Abreu, Ryan Pressley, Rafael Montero, and Phil Maton have yet to give up an earned run. That is absurd and great news going into a matchup against a tough offense like the Rangers'.

Not all the news has been great in the bullpen this postseason, though. as Hunter Brown and Ryne Stanek have only been okay and Hector Neris, one of Houston's best relievers in the regular season, got torched in Game One of the ALDS. It is possible that he was a bit distracted from the fallot of the near brawl he instigated against the Mariners, but it was nonetheless pretty jarring to see him struggle like it he did.

With the Rangers' bullpen being far less formidable, this is an area where Houston has to press their advantage. There is a very decent chance that a lot of these games will be close late and the Houston bullpen simply has to do what they did against Minnesota: keep games close and miss a lot of bats. If they can, the Astros should be in a great spot. If the bullpen falters, though, then things could go sideways in a hurry.

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