Pray We Never Meet Again

 

Sometimes, the MLB schedule hands us unintentional previews of playoff matches. In 2022, there was a very exciting Phillies-Astros series late in the regular season, one the Phils actually won, which set the stage for the WS one where the Astros could actually leg it out thanks to Martin Maldonado leaning into pitches. Last year, the Diamondbacks crushed the Rangers in a late August series, then paid the piper in October when the Rangers came back to win a World Series against them. The Yankees and Astros always treat their regular season meetings as potential preludes to postseason series, which is why it's been so nice that the Yanks have been kicking Houston's ass recently.

Yet right now, there's a series going on that features two teams that very well could play themselves in the postseason. The division leading Houston Astros, and the 2nd place and surprisingly falling Baltimore Orioles.

These are two teams that, ideally, should be going in separate directions. The Orioles were so strong throughout the season, and have such promise, that you hate to see them dropping games to the Mets, Blue Jays and Padres. The Astros, meanwhile, have so little of a story this year that you honestly wish they had more trouble waltzing to the top yet again. The Mariners held onto 1st for so long, then the bottom fell out when they realized they had to hit as well. The Astros just...waited for their lineup to start hitting, and for their rotation to get healthy, and they acted like it was all part of the plan from the start. Therefore, of the two, in my opinion, the wrong team is doing well right now.

Ultimately, this series has been the kind of tense back and forth you might expect. Game 1 was an infuriating shutout thanks to a Astros pitcher, Spencer Arrighetti, who seems to only be good in these crucial settings. Game 2 was listless for a while then punched through by an Anthony Santander grand slam. And yesterday's Game 3 was equally exciting, with Framber Valdez quieting the O's as Pena and Altuve hit 'em out, thanks to Albert Suarez's solid, but imperfect, pitching, only for Jackson Holliday to pinch hit a 3-RBI blast to quiet the Astros. These are two competitive teams who both want the glory, and while the O's have the edge at the moment, the Astros aren't gonna want to take the quiet way out.

The Astros are seeing continued dominance from people like Jeremy Pena, Yainer Diaz, Framber Valdez, Alex Bregman and Hunter Brown. Not all of these guys were playing well all year, but they certainly are now. Meanwhile, the Orioles have seen Colton Cowser falter and then spring back to life, Eloy Jimenez suddenly find his contact bat as a DH, Jackson Holliday finally figure out the majors, and Gunnar Henderson continue to cement his league-wide greatness. 

Both teams have the opportunity for a great postseason run. If you think this series is tense now, if they meet again in the postseason it could be even bloodthirstier. I'd obviously be rooting for the O's to finally triumph, but we all know that the Astros won't make it easy for them.

Coming Tonight: Similarly, a guy who took a few months to fully come back from his 2023 injury, and now he's a big part of his own team's playoff push.