Another stingy October outing from Cristian Javier put the Houston Astros one win away from another American League Championship Series.
In his first postseason start since a combined World Series no-hitter last year, Javier limited the Minnesota Twins to one hit over five scoreless innings, and the Astros whacked four home runs in a 9-1 victory at Target Field on Tuesday. Houston grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five division series and can clinch its seventh consecutive ALCS appearance with a win Wednesday.
Capitalizing on the shadows cast over the field by the 3 p.m. start, Javier leaned heavily on his slider -- normally difficult to square, positively dastardly with the elements impairing hitters' vision -- and generated 11 swings and misses with the pitch. After a first-inning double by Max Kepler, the 26-year-old Javier navigated the dangerous Twins lineup without allowing further damage. He walked five and struck out nine as he wriggled out of jams in the first, third and fifth innings, the latter of which he punctuated with back-to-back strikeouts of Kepler and Twins cleanup hitter Royce Lewis.
The defending World Series champion Astros lead the best-of-five series, 2-1, and can punch a ticket to their seventh consecutive AL Championship Series with a win in Game 4 of the ALDS on Wednesday. They’ll give the ball to José Urquidy, who has three World Series wins under his belt.
“I'm anxious to finish the series tomorrow and enjoy it with the guys,” Urquidy said.
In all best-of-five postseason series, teams leading 2-1 after Game 3 have gone on to win the series 69 of 96 times (72 percent). In the Division Series with the current 2-2-1 format, teams ahead 2-1 and playing Game 4 on the road have advanced 21 of 32 times (66 percent), with 17 of those 21 winners closing out the series in Game 4.
Minnesota and Houston would've been the early game Wednesday had Baltimore beaten Texas to push the series to a fourth game, but the Rangers walloped their way to their fifth straight postseason victory and now await the winner of the Twins and Astros in the American League Championship Series
The loss puts historic pressure on the Twins as they look to reach the ALCS for the first time since 2002. Teams leading 2-1 in a best-of-five series have gone on to win the series 69 of the last 96 times.
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