The stage is set.
The Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves will face off in the World Series beginning Tuesday night. The first two games of the series will be played at Minute Maid Park in Houston, thanks to the Astros having the better regular-season record.
The Braves will be appearing in their first World Series since 1999, a series in which Atlanta was swept by the New York Yankees. The Braves are looking for their first win in the Fall Classic since defeating the Cleveland Indians in six games in 1995.
Houston is back in the World Series after their notorious and much-disputed 2017 victory due to the well-publicized cheating scandal. The Astros have a chance to put their past woes even further behind them – and silence their many detractors in the baseball world – with another title.
Atlanta comes into this matchup having knocked off the heavily-favored Los Angeles Dodgers, thanks in large part to some key pieces the Braves added at the Trade Deadline in July, left fielder and NLCS MVP Eddie Rosario being chief among them.
Rosario has come alive during the postseason, slashing .474/3 HR/11 RBI through 10 games, including a clutch home run off Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler in Game 6 of the NLCS to give the Braves the lead, and eventually the win. Rosario’s stat line also sports a .524 OBP, .789 SLG and a 1.313 OPS through 38 at-bats.
Rosario will look to have another big series to give his team their first championship in 26 years, but the Braves’ pitching staff will need to quell a white-hot Houston Astros offense for that to happen.
Braves pitching has been solid throughout the postseason, sporting a 3.41 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 10.3 K/9 as a team thus far.
Veteran right-hander Charlie Morton will get the ball in game one for Atlanta. The 37-year-old veteran had another strong season in 2021, and has continued it into the postseason, pitching to a 3.77 ERA and striking out 19 batters through 14.1 innings. Lefty Max Fried (3.78 ERA, 17 K, 16.2 IP) is the probable starter for Game 2.
Atlanta pitching has their work cut out for them.
The Astros have been nigh unstoppable on offense during the postseason, sporting a .281 AVG, .353 OBP, .443 SLG and .797 OPS as a team through 10 games.
Houston also leads all teams this postseason with 65 RBI and 67 runs scored. Leading their potent offense is star DH Yordan Alvarez, who has continued to crush the ball as the ‘Stros have gone deeper into the playoffs. Alvarez’s line: .441 AVG, .535 OBP, .794 SLG, and a 1.329 OPS to go along with two home runs and nine RBI through 10 games. Other key players such as Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa will all need to chip in if Houston wants to come out on top, but Alvarez will look to carry this offense like he has for the majority of the postseason.
Houston’s pitching has been shaky at times during the playoffs, pitching to a 4.50 ERA in 88 total innings. Game 1 starter Framber Valdez will have the task of slowing down a streaky Braves offense. Valdez has allowed seven runs in 15 innings during the postseason, he will need to be better to give his team a chance to win. Houston will give the ball to Jose Urquidy for game two, despite Urquidy having only appeared in one game this postseason. The right-hander allowed five earned runs in 1.2 innings in an ALCS Game 3 loss to Boston, he too will need to improve to give his team a chance.
World championships are often won by the superior pitching staff, but most of this postseason has been dominated by high-powered offenses. The Braves have the advantage of better pitching, but Houston has the edge when it comes to offensive firepower. If the Braves can jump out to early leads and turn the ball over to their bullpen, they’ll put themselves in great position to become world champions once again. However, Houston’s offense won’t likely be stopped easily, and the Astros are more than capable of out-slugging the Braves to a win.
Even with the entire baseball world – excluding Astros fans – rooting for Atlanta, the Astros prowess at the plate will likely prove too powerful for Braves pitching. Atlanta will put up a great fight and take the series to seven games, but Houston will eventually be crowned World Series champions, and baseball fans will have to hear them talk about it all offseason.
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