New York Yankees (91-71) vs Houston Astros (101-61)
Yankees key to winning: Just like last series, it’s going to help tremendously if either Masahiro Tanaka or Luis Severino can win their game. With Sabathia going in game 3, a tied series would be huge for this team. The bullpen needs to keep it going, as the Astros can’t match up as well in that aspect as the Indians did. Obviously Gregorious has put on a show, but he’s really not that good. He’ll come back down to Earth soon enough. When that happens, the Yankees are going to need someone else to step up and take the lead hitter role because Houston clearly has that covered with Jose Altuve.
Astros key to winning: Verlander and Keuchel are going to need to set the tone in the first two games. Both teams are hot, so the first blow is going to play a crucial role. Houston needs to find a way to get a comfortable lead in games and hold it because a close game with the Yankees bullpen may not play out in their favor. This is going to be a dog fight, so in the middle of the series a middle of the rotation arm is going to need to come up in the clutch like Charlie Morton.
Prediction: Yankees 4-2
