ALDS Game 1 - Open Thread

WHITE SOX @ ASTROS - 3:07 pm CDT

Lance Lynn (157 IP - 4.2 fWAR, 3.32 FIP, 27.5 K%)

VS

Lance McCullers, Jr. (162.1 IP - 3.3 fWAR, 3.52 FIP, 27.0 K%)

Oh, hello, it’s literally the worst postseason matchup available! A self-respecting Twins fan would never find themselves rooting for the White Sox. A self-respecting baseball fan would never find themselves rooting for Houston. It’s something of a “revenge tour” for the Texas club, who have been fighting for a chance to prove they can win a title with a legitimate approach. It’s sort of like Barry Bonds and steroids...the man was good enough to have made the Hall of Fame without performance enhancers. In a similar vein, the Houston Astros certainly had the talent on their roster to take home the trophy without bang bang smack smack boom metal trash bang.

Personally, I am rooting for the Astros to lose to the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS. That’s the best I can do here. Enjoy the Battle of the Lances.

BOSTON RED SOX @ TAMPA BAY RAYS - 7:07 pm CDT

Eduardo Rodriguez (157.2 IP - 3.8 fWAR, 3.32 FIP, 27.4 K%)

VS

Shane McClanahan (123.1 IP - 2.5 fWAR, 3.31 FIP, 27.3 K%)

After yeeting himself over second base, slugger J.D. Martinez is back on the Red Sox roster. Boston has a lot of offensive firepower — Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, Alex Verdugo...there is an all-star cast in place that has Boston in position to continue their 21st-century dominance after winning four titles in the first two decades of the new millennium.

Of course, if we’re talking new millennium, we have to talk Tampa Bay. The franchise that has embraced analytics like no other team is gunning for their second consecutive American League pennant, and this time, they’ve got Nelson Cruz. Whether the Rays’ unique, depth-based approach will continue to pay dividends in yet another postseason remains to be seen, but by all accounts, this team remains the AL favorite.