Houston Astros pitcher Christian Javier needs a big game to give his team any chance against the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Phillies are winning the World Series in five games if these three Houston Astros stay silent in Game 4.
The Houston Astros know a thing or two about making it to the World Series. No team in the American League has been as dominant as they have been since 2017 when they were victorious. When they found out their opponent would be the Philadelphia Phillies, there was reason to celebrate. This was not a team they should have been all that afraid of, considering the amount of experience they have and what the Phillies have been for the last decade.
Unfortunately for Houston, they find themselves down 2-1 in the series with a pivotal Game 4 taking place at Citizen’s Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia. The Astros are coming off a 7-0 shutout when the Phillies went crazy.
Unless these three Astros have a huge Game 4 tonight, the World Series is going to the Phillies in five. We’re not even going to give them a chance at a comeback.
1) Phillies are winning in 5 if Astros starter Christian Javier pitches a dud
Christian Javier gets the call to start for the Astros in Game 4. The rowdy Philadelphia crowd sure to pack the stadium will look to get under the young starter’s skin. Javier is coming off of a successful regular season, which saw him cement himself as a more permanent member of the starting rotation. In the playoffs, we’ve only seen him twice.
Javier pitched 1.1 innings of relief for the Astros in their ALDS win over the Seattle Mariners and started once versus the New York Yankees in the ALCS. He gave Houston 5.1 innings of shutout baseball while allowing only a single hit. This is precisely what he needs to accomplish for them yet again.
Javier doesn’t have to give the Astros seven strong innings. He just needs to get them to the sixth inning, which is when their typically strong bullpen can take over. Of course, he’ll need a little help along the way. Shutout innings are nice, but unless your team can score too, it’s useless.
Two other Astros need to have a big Game 4 to avoid losing to the Phillies.