This Turns into a Best of THREE SERIES!

 

Arlington, Texas—The American League Championship Series becomes a best of THREE series with the Astros tying it up 2 games a piece, after the Texas Rangers had gone up TWO Games to NONE in Houston.

These two teams have swapped the home field advantage, and in doing so, now this becomes a best of three games series!

The Astros beat the Rangers in Game 4—10-3, and mainly behind home runs by Jose Abreu, who lit the scoreboard in the 4^th with a Three run shot to left field to make it 7-3 at the time, after the Rangers fought back after being down 3-0—to tie the game after getting 2 in the second inning with a home run and then a SAC fly to left field—the HOMER by Adolis Garcia and the SAC FLY RBI by Josh Jung to score Mitch Garve who had walked earlier in the inning—the Tying run on a solo shot to left center by Corey Seager, and it was a brand new ball game.

Well, at least that’s what the Rangers thought—until the ceiling came in on them with that aforementioned four run 4^th, and two more in the 7^th including a home run by Chas McCormick that scored two more runs to make it 9-3 and then another run in the 8^th that was scored from a lead off double by Jose Altuve, and that was the final run for the Astros needed to make it a 10-3 final.

The Bullpen for the Rangers just could not get the Astros down—one shut down inning in the 3^rd with a one-two-three inning, but after that—not so much walks, and home runs did this Ranger team in. Their bullpen, though was pretty much “starter by committee”, with the starter Andrew Healey going only 2/3 of an inning (never getting out of the 1^st inning is not a good sign to start with), and then giving way to Dane Dunning, then Cody Bradford, followed by Chris Stratton, Will Smith, and finally Martin Perez. All of which (outside of Stratton) gave up runs.

The 2-2 series now has one more game in Arlington, then the final two in Houston, and then the Series will start NEXT Saturday, and the match up is still up in the air, it could be a rematch of last years series with the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies, or if the Diamondbacks from Arizona can make it a series even though they are down 2-1 after game three. Rangers vs Diamondbacks would be an interesting series, but none the less, they have to get past a very good and determined Astros Team that has shown that they might be down, but not out, after their win in game four.

The final thought is, that the Rangers, having won 7 games in a row going into game three the night before, and losing 5-4, it was bound to happen, but getting shellacked 10-3 in game three—it will take some BRUCE BOCHY magic to get this team off the mat, and make this a series for the ages against a very good Houston Astros team that Dusty Baker has put together.

It will have to come down in the next three games—that’s what this has come down too, the best of three.

Just a thought.