ALCS Bracket 2020: Updated Rays vs. Astros TV Schedule and Predictions
Strong pitching, incredible defense and the red-hot bat of Randy Arozarena placed the Tampa Bay Rays one game from reaching the World Series for the second time in franchise history.
Tampa Bay holds a 3-0 advantage over Houston heading into Wednesday's Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.
Tyler Glasnow will try to follow up the strong outings from Blake Snell, Charlie Morton and Ryan Yarbrough with an impressive start of his own.
Houston is turning to its most experienced pitcher, Zack Greinke, to keep its season alive at Petco Park.
If Greinke fails to keep the Astros competitive Wednesday, the Rays would be able to earn the first ALCS sweep since Kansas City defeated Baltimore in four games in 2014.
Updated ALCS Schedule
Game 4: Wednesday, October 14 (8:40 p.m. ET, TBS)
Game 5 (if necessary): Thursday, October 15 (5:07 p.m. ET, TBS)
Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, October 16 (6:07 p.m. ET, TBS)
Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, October 17 (8:37 p.m. ET, TBS)
Predictions
Tyler Glasnow Produces Quality Start In Game 4
Glasnow overpowered opposing hitters in most of his appearances this year.
In the regular season, the right-handed hurler struck out 91 batters and allowed 26 earned runs over 57.1 innings.
In his last eight starts, Glasnow struck out at least seven batters and had a pair of double-digit punchout performances.
The 27-year-old fanned 10 New York Yankees in his last start on full rest in ALDS Game 2, and that number could be high again Wednesday.
Houston struck out on 22 occasions in the first three games. Snell, Morton and Yarbrough were responsible for 12 of those strikeouts. Morton and Yarbrough had five each.
The Astros managed three runs off Tampa Bay's three starters, and if Glasnow holds them to a small total, the series could be finished off by the Rays bullpen.
However, there is one way the Astros could get back into the series, and that is through the long ball. Glasnow allowed 11 regular-season home runs and let up a pair of dingers in his first two postseason starts of 2020.
Four of Houston's five ALCS runs have come off home runs, and with the Rays making terrific defensive plays with runners in scoring positions, it may have to rely on the long ball to stay alive in the series.
Since each of those home runs have been solo shots, the Astros could still have trouble putting an abundance of runs across the plate with Glasnow on the hill.
Randy Arozarena Stays Hot
The breakout star of the postseason recorded his sixth multi-hit game of the playoffs in Game 3.
With his three hits Tuesday, Arozarena joined Jose Altuve, Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner and Albert Pujols as players to record four games with three or more hits in a single postseason, per MLB.com's Andrew Simon:
In every game that Arozarena recorded a hit, he has scored at least once against Toronto, the New York Yankees and Houston.
If he extends his terrific form into Game 4, he could serve as Tampa Bay's offensive catalyst against Greinke, who allowed four earned runs over 4.2 innings in his last postseason outing.
Greinke allowed four earned runs on 10 hits in his two ALCS starts against the Yankees in 2019. Eight of the 17 playoff home runs he conceded have come in the last two years.
That total could play into Arozarena's favor since he has one of the three ALCS home runs for the Rays. Manuel Margot and Mike Zunino hit the others.
Arozarena could also be a rally starter through a single or double, like he was in Game 3 with a sixth-inning single.
Joey Wendle drove in Arozarena, and the Rays went on to score four more runs and tipped the momentum in their favor.
If Arozarena sparks a similar rally in Game 4, it could provide enough support for the Tampa Bay pitching staff to shut down Houston's order again.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference
