The division-rival Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners are set to meet Tuesday afternoon in Game 1 of the best-of-five American League Division Series at Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros. The Astros, because they won the AL Wast and finished as one of the top two division winners (along with the second-seed Yankees), earned a first-round bye and come into this series with their rotation lined up as they choose and on five days of rest. As for the Mariners, they earned a wild-card berth (and their first postseason bid since 2001) and advanced to the second round with a two-game sweep over the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card Series. They come in on two days of rest.
The winner of this series will advance to the ALCS to face the winner of the Yankees-Guardians ALDS.
You can view the full postseason schedule by clicking here, and here's the 2022 playoff bracket. Now, let's get to the important stuff for Game 1.
How to watch
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 11 | Time: 3:37 p.m. ET
Location: Minute Maid Park (Houston, Texas)
TV channel: TBS | Live stream: TBS app
Odds: HOU -225; SEA +185; O/U: 6.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Starting pitchers: RHP Justin Verlander (18-4, 1.75 ERA) vs. RHP Logan Gilbert (13-6, 3.20 ERA)
Preview
In the regular season, the Astros went 12-7 against Seattle and out-scored them by a tally of 73-65 in those games. As for the Game 1 starting pitchers, Verlander during the regular season made six starts against the Mariners. Over that span of 42 1/3 innings, he registered an ERA of 2.34 with no unearned runs allowed and 43 strikeouts against six unintentional walks. Seattle hitters in those games slashed .210/.249/.350 against Verlander. This will mark Verlander's 31st career postseason start.
Across the way, Gilbert during the regular season faced Houston four times, and over those 25 innings he pitched to a 2.52 ERA with no unearned runs allowed and 22 strikeouts/six unintentional walks. Houston hitters versus Gilbert in 2022 had a line of .228/.283/.348.
Prediction
The Astros were the better team during the regular season, as they won an AL-best 106 games and finished 16 games ahead of the Mariners. As well, the Astros had a plus-219 run differential versus Seattle's figure of plus-67. On top of that, the Astros come in much more rested, have their ace on the mound, and they're at home. We have to lean Houston in Game 1.
Pick: Astros 4, Mariners 2
