For the Houston Astros, it all comes down to today as Game Seven of the ALCS is set to begin in a matter of hours against the Rangers. The Astros had their chance to close things out last night, but Texas had other plans and routed Houston 9-2. With the Rangers' win, the road team has won every single game in this series. The Astros will have to break that trend to advance to the Fall Classic.
With their playoff lives on the line, Houston will turn to Cristian Javier to hopefully keep the Rangers' offense in check again. Max Scherzer gets the start for Texas which bodes pretty well for the Astros as they tagged Max for five runs the last time they faced him in this series.
Houston Astros lineup for ALCS Game 7 (October 23, 2023)
Houston's lineups have been pretty similar throughout the series as the only guys that have been switched out with any regularity have been in the outfield with Mauricio Dubon, Chas McCormick, and Michael Brantley getting shuffled around. Tonight is more of the same as the Astros' lineup has a lot of the same familiar faces in some slightly different spots.
Batter | Position |
---|---|
Jose Altuve | 2B |
Alex Bregman | 3B |
Yordan Alvarez | DH |
Jose Abreu | 1B |
Michael Brantley | LF |
Kyle Tucker | RF |
Chas McCormick | CF |
Jeremy Pena | SS |
Martin Maldonado | C |
Cristian Javier | SP |
Mauricio Dubon is not in the starting lineup for Houston tonight with McCormick and Brantley getting the nod instead against Scherzer. Bregman getting moved up to the second spot in the lineup is an interesting choice as he hasn't exactly been tearing the cover off the ball. However, the heart of the order all moved up with Brantley moving down the fifth spot. Dusty Baker seems to like McCormick in the 7th spot and that is where he resides yet again.
In just a matter of hours, the Astros are going to be playing a win or go home Game Seven, so make sure you don't miss single plate appearance. This series has been jammed pack with action and tonight is unlikely to be an exception.