The ALCS opens Wednesday with the Houston Astros the betting favorite against the New York Yankees.
Houston has been favored to win the American League championship since the MLB postseason began, with New York as the second choice.
The ALCS odds have Houston at -175 with New York at +150 (PointsBet).
The Yankees advanced with a 5-1 win against the Cleveland Indians in Game 5 of the ALDS on Tuesday. The game was postponed from Monday due to weather, and it was the only MLB Division Series to go the full five games, leaving New York with no rest heading into Game 1 at Houston.
The only off day for this best-of-7 series is Friday.
“As far as the quick turnaround, we’ll be fine,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told The Associated Press. “That’s baseball. We do that all the time. We’ll walk in there with some confidence. We know they are great team and rested and ready. We look forward to the challenge.”
The Astros have not played since Saturday, when they finished a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners with a 1-0, 18-inning win.
Houston’s Game 1 starter Justin Verlander surprisingly struggled in the series opener against Seattle, allowing six runs on 10 hits in just four innings of an 8-7 Astros win. Verlander had a 1.75 ERA and allowed two runs or fewer in 21 of his 28 regular-season starts. He was 10-1 with a 1.64 ERA at home.
“This guy he knows what it takes,” Houston manager Dusty Baker told the AP. “So, we’re not worried about Justin. It can happen to anybody. I don’t care how great you are or what your track record says, that’s why you play the game. So, we anticipate Justin to come out and throw a great game.”
Houston won five of seven games against New York this season. Astros pitchers had a .151 batting average against and a 2.98 ERA, and their hitters averaged 3.86 runs per game with 23 extra-base hits, including nine home runs.
Jameson Taillon, who would have started Game 5 against the Indians had it not been rained out, will start Game 1 for the Yankees. He failed to get an out pitching the 10th inning in Game 2 of the ALDS on Sunday, allowing two runs on three hits in a 4-2 loss. It was his first ever MLB relief appearance and postseason game.
Neither of the Yankees’ two wins against the Astros this season came from a starting pitcher. Aaron Judge batted .148 with a slugging percentage of .370 in the seven games, and hit two of his AL record 62 home runs. He hit two homers and batted .200 with nine strikeouts in 16 ALDS at-bats.
Houston and New York have not played since a July 21 doubleheader. Since 2019, the Yankees are 11-15 against the Astros and lost the ALCS to them in 2019 (six games) and 2017 (seven games).
The Yankees led the Astros by seven games on June 30 in the race for the best record in the American League. Houston passed New York on Aug. 12 and ended the season with a seven-game lead to earn home-field advantage in this series.
“I understand it’s a big story,” Boone said after being swept in that July doubleheader, according to the AP. “I understand the season we’re in. It’s not going to matter unless [it’s] October. If we happen to come back here in October we’re going to show up. We’re going to expect to win. We think we’re really good. They’re really good. Don’t overstate this.”
