The Indians play the defending AL and World Series Champion Astros in the settled ALDS. The following table shows their ranks in various areas of offense:
| Statistic | Cleveland Indians | Houston Astros |
|---|---|---|
| Runs/Game | 5.05 (3rd) | 4.92 (5th) |
| Batting Avg. | .259 (2nd) | .255 (4th) |
| OBP | .332 (3rd) | .329 (4th-T) |
| Slugging Pct. | .435 (4th) | .425 (6th) |
| Home Runs | 216 (4th) | 205 (7th) |
| Stolen Base % | 79% (3rd-T) | 73% (7th) |
The Indians hold the advantage in every category, although the advantages tend to be slight. They should be fairly evenly matched.
The series features two of the best hitting third basemen in the game, Alex Bregman and Jose Ramirez. Bregman has a bit of an advantage in BA and OBP, but Ramirez offers more power. In fact, four of the top five on the OBP leaders linked are in the post season.
This table compares the pitchers:
| Statistic | Cleveland Indians | Houston Astros |
|---|---|---|
| Earned Run Avg. | 3.77 (4th) | 3.11 (1st) |
| Runs Allowed/Game | 4.00 (4th) | 3.30 (1st) |
| Strikeouts per 9 IP | 9.5 (4th) | 10.4 (1st) |
| Walks per 9 IP | 2.5 (1st-T) | 2.7 (3rd) |
| Home Runs per 200 IP | 27.4 (8th-T) | 20.9 (1st) |
| BABIP | .299 (9th) | .284 (3rd) |
If you look at the preview of last year’s Astros ALDS series, you’ll note that the offense and pitching flipped this season. They fielded the league’s best offense with good pitching. This season, the Astros pitching sits atop the AL while their offense is good, but not great. The Astros went out an improved their pitching staff in the post-season, and that covered some regression by the offense.
This is a strength on strength match-up. Both pitching staffs strike out lots of batters. Both offenses put the ball in play. Both offenses take their walks, both pitching staff throw strikes. The Astros look like they have the better defense, given their BABIP. If the teams manage to put the ball in play, the Astros should be better at turning them into outs.
This is shaping up to be a great series, and I’ll favor the Astros slightly.
from baseballmusings.com https://ift.tt/2Ixii7y
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