Sox Beware, Astros showed 2017 shape in ALDS

Friday night at Boston Sports tonight, Astros editor Brian McTaggart joined Evan Drellich of NBC Sports in Boston to take us behind the enemy lines before the first game of the American League series, which begins Saturday night at Fenway Park.

While offensively, the Astros have regressed slightly since their staggering form of 2017 which led to their first World Series title in franchise history, we saw this vintage form in their three-game sweep of Cleveland in the Division series. And if that can continue, McTaggart says "they will be impossible to beat."

On the mound, Houston was vicious, thanks in part to the transformation of starter Gerrit Cole. McTaggart said right-hander Cole, who had won a surprise Pirates over the past season, had the best season of his career.

"There is no doubt that this will be the best year of his career," said McTaggart. "In addition to dams, its number in dams has increased.At earlier in the year, Cole and [Justin] Verlander was eliminated 12, 13 a game. Now, once in June, A.J. pulled the brakes on them a bit, did not want things to go crazy. And then, once September arrived, they picked it up.

"It was great, I mean, it's like any other thrower coming to the Astros – they're reworking their throwing style, did the same thing with Verlander." The second game in the series Division, he withdrew 12 batters – they could not have him and Verlander pitched against Cleveland as they had done in April and May, when they felt like they were going to hit 350 hitters and that no one would touch.

The keys to beat Houston? McTaggart said the solution could also be to get the three-headed monster from the Astros, Cole, Verlander and Dallas Keuchel, although he also concedes that the Mookie Betts game for the Red Sox could influence this series.

"They will have to find one of their starters," McTaggart said. "They're going to have to go to Cole or Verlander, in a way, I mean, you'll have to beat them twice, I do not see them going to Astros Bullpen.

"It will not be easy, they are playing very well right now, they are playing a really confident, relaxed and totally different from last year, they did it, they got along well here." at Fenway Park, there is nothing that they do not really want to enter this series. "

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