2019 MLB World Series Game 3 – Houston Astros @ Washington Nationals Preview & Pick
THE FACTS
When is Houston Astros @ Washington Nationals taking place? Saturday 26th October, 2019 – 01:07 (UK)
Where is Houston Astros @ Washington Nationals taking place? Nationals Park
What is the expected weather for Houston Astros @ Washington Nationals? Cloudy, 17c
What television channel is Houston Astros @ Washington Nationals on? BT Sport 1 in the UK / FOX in the US, ESPN in Latin America
Where can I stream Houston Astros @ Washington Nationals? BT Sport subscribers can stream the match live via the BT Sport website or app in the UK / MLB.tv in the US, ESPN Play in Latin America
Where can I get tickets for Houston Astros @ Washington Nationals? https://www.mlb.com/tickets/season-tickets
What was the outcome in the last meeting? Houston Astros 3 – 12 Washington Nationals
THE TEAM NEWS
HOUSTON ASTROS
- It’s safe to say the Astros never thought they would be in this position after the first two games of the 2019 World Series. Despite having home-field advantage at Minute Maid Park and featuring Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander on the mound on back-to-back games, the Astros find themselves down 2-0 and have their backs against the wall. They are now forced to win at least two games at Nationals Park to avoid losing the chance of a second World Series title in three years.
- One player to watch for Houston is Jose Altuve, who went 3-for-5 in Game 2 and has now recorded six multi-hit games in the playoffs, while hitting safely in 12 of 13 postseason appearances thus far.
- Veteran Zack Greinke will get the ball in Game 3 for the Astros and while he hasn’t been at his best during the current postseason run (0-2, 6.43 ERA, 1.43 WHIP), he has looked solid over his last two starts. Plus, he will bat in a NL park and that could be a difference-maker since Greinke connected three home runs as a pitcher during the 2019 regular season.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS
- The Nationals look absolutely unstoppable at the moment and have not lost a single MLB contest since they were down 1-2 against Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS, riding an eight-game winning streak in the playoffs. Furthermore, the 12 runs they scored during Game 2 of the 2019 World Series were a play-off high for the franchise, and Washington hadn’t scored that many runs since mid-September in an away win at Minnesota. They are averaging 6.12 runs scored per game during their eight-game winning streak.
- Asdrubal Cabrera went 2-for-5 with three RBI in Game 2, while Kurt Suzuki, Adam Eaton and Michael Taylor all homered. However, Juan Soto has been Washington’s best player and the potential MVP favourite right now. He went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs in Game 2, and is now hitting .571 with a 1.953 OPS in his first two World Series appearances.
- Patrick Corbin was expected to start Game 3 but manager Dave Martinez reversed that decision after Corbin threw 21 pitches in relief during Game 1 of this series. As a result, Anibal Sanchez will get the nod for Game 3 while Corbin could be available off the bullpen. Sanchez has a 0.71 ERA over 12 2/3 innings in two playoff starts in 2019.
THE PREDICTION
The Astros were heavily considered to be favourites in the first two games of the series, but the Nationals pulled the upset in both contests and carry a lot of momentum heading into three games at home. Houston won’t go down easily but Greinke has struggled so far in the playoffs and the Nationals’ offense has been firing on all cylinders so far during the first two games against the Astros (collective .306 batting average). Expect the Nationals to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, and a win would put them just 27 outs away from the franchise’s first World Series title.
