The American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays gets underway Sunday from San Diego's Petco Park. In a bit of a twist, the Rays only have one day off before the series starts and, much like the first two rounds, there are zero scheduled off days throughout the entire series. Seven games in seven days, possibly, are on tap. We'll just focus on the first one, though.
Let's check out the pertinent details for Game 1.
How to watch
Date: Thursday, Oct. 10 | Time: 7:37 p.m. ET
Location: Petco Park (San Diego)
TV: TBS | Stream: TBS app
Odds: HOU +125; TB -135; O/U: 8
Pitchers: LHP Framber Valdez vs. LHP Blake Snell
Follow: CBS Sports App
Preview
Right off the bat, we need to point out the Rays might be a bit compromised in terms of pitching. Their three best relievers worked really hard in Game 5 of the ALDS, with Nick Anderson throwing 32 pitches, Peter Fairbanks throwing 40 and Diego Castillo throwing 29. In Castillo's case, that's the second-highest total of the season. The other two pitchers set 2020 highs.
The Astros' lackluster regular season is clearly in the rearview. They've gone 5-1 in the playoffs so far and are hitting .281/.353/.486 with 14 homers while averaging 6.67 runs per game.
The Rays have hit .217 with a .295 on-base percentage in the playoffs, but they've had timely hits and have come through with 14 homers in seven games.
Something to watch: Though the Rays definitely have the better reputation when it comes to the bullpen and were considerably better in the regular season, the Astros' bullpen has posted a 2.45 ERA in the playoffs, compared to 3.45 from the Rays.
Prediction
The Astros righty sluggers, like George Springer, Michael Brantley, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve and especially Carlos Correa are red hot right now while the Rays' pitching looks compromised for Game 1. Even if said compromise is slight -- and I believe it is -- that's enough to like the Astros here thanks to early offense against the southpaw, Snell.
