ALCS: Yankees v. Astros Discussion Thread

jon abbey

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He definitely caught Severino down the stretch in 2015, and Chapman for a few months last season. He overlapped with Robertson in 2014 although Robertson seems to have changed his repertoire a bit since then.
 

E5 Yaz

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Houston is clearly the superior team and the idea of them melting under the lights of New York is ridiculous. They have a ton of veterans, plus the best second baseman in the land and maybe the best shortstop. Then again, their bullpen isn't all that great. If Houston's starting pitching holds up, the Astros will cruise in five or six. If the Yankees can get into the bullpen then I think they have a real shot.
This will be a fascinating snapshot of how well tendencies play out during a short series.

The Yankees work at-bats which, as you said, could get them into the softer middle-relief of the Astros bullpen.

The Astros, meanwhile, have issues with getting 95-plus pitches into play. That also favors the Yankees.

Those are two big advantages for New York ... if they play to form. But as we've seen -- with superior starting pitchers crumbling throughout the playoffs, the Indians and Nationals being unable to take advantage of home field, and the vagaries of managerial decisions in pressured moments -- the tendencies don't always overcome other factors.