5:08 pm: Houston Astros @ Los Angeles Dodgers (0-0)
Dallas Keuchel (LHP, 14-5, 2.90) vs. Clayton Kershaw (LHP, 18-4, 2.31). And, so, it begins. The Dodgers have so far been completely impregnable in Los Angeles, winning all four of their playoff games at home. But if the Astros can take one of these two - especially if they defeat Kershaw tonight - then they could win without having to go back to Los Angeles. Which would be nice. It will be interesting to see if the Dodgers’ hitters play the waiting game, which they did so effectively against the D-backs. And, if so, what adjustments will Keuchel and the Astros make to counter that?
He does have the benefit of unfamiliarity, with the Dodgers never having faced him as a starter. Just three Los Angeles hitters have ever seen Keuchel, and Logan Forsythe is the only one with more than half-a-dozen plate appearances. On the Houston side, Carlos Beltran, Cameron Maybin, Jose Altuve and Evan Gattis have all mustered double digits against Kershaw, though with mixed success: Altuve’s 6-for-15 with four doubles puts his OPS top-10 among all players with that many PAs against Clayton. Hopefully, that’s something which will continue tonight at Dodger Stadium.