Houston Astros Head East for World Series Rematch with Atlanta Braves

The Houston Astros travel east to take on the Atlanta Braves in their first matchup since the 2021 World Series.

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros last saw the Atlanta Braves in November of 2021, as they were celebrating their World Series win on the diamond at Minute Maid Park. The Astros are looking to avenge the 4-2 series loss this weekend and give the Braves a taste of their own medicine at Truist Park.

Both teams have followed last season with a terrific year to date in 2022. Houston is 77-43 and sits atop the AL West, while Atlanta is 73-47 and second in the NL East behind the New York Mets.

Over the last 10 days, the Astros are 7-3. This stretch, coupled with a recently struggling New York Yankees team, earned the Bayou City team the top spot in the league.

The Astros have a wealth of firepower in the lineup. Once you get past the hard out that is Jose Altuve, you'll face Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman. Following that are a slew of other power hitters like Kyle Tucker, Trey Mancini, and Jeremy Pena.

Houston is hitting .243/317/.422 this season and is third in the league in home runs with 163.

Let's face it, the offense is nothing new. However, a deep and dominating pitching staff is something the Astros did not have just a year ago.

A team that gave up 25 runs over six games in the World Series last year have turned things around. The Astros have improved their ERA by 0.73 and have the ability to go lower.

The six-man rotation boasts the highest number of quality starts (71) in the MLB this season. The electric Framber Valdez (21) and Justin Verlander (18) lead the league.

Those two will not see the mound this weekend, but Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy, and Lance McCullers Jr. will and the trio has the ability to shut down a hot Atlanta team.

Houston Astros Lance McCullers Jr / © Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

The Braves are having a very solid season once again. The World Series champions are slugging .252/.317/.447 in 2022 and are second in the league in home runs with 183.

Atlanta also has a well-rounded pitching staff, who leads the league in saves and strikeouts. 

Max Fried has the lowest ERA on the team and Charlie Morton leads in strikeouts (154). The Astros will see the latter on Sunday in the series finale.

If both teams stay as consistent and dominant as they look right now, this weekend could be a preview for another late October matchup.

Game One:

Astros Starter: Lance McCullers Jr. (1-0, 0.00 ERA in 6 IP)

Braves Starter: Kyle Wright (14-5, 3.14 ERA)

Lance McCullers Jr. will make his second start of the season on Friday. The righty will be on five days rest after throwing six shutout innings and striking out five against the Oakland Athletics last Saturday. 

Kyle Wright is slated to get the start for the home team. The Alabama native will be on eight days rest. In his last outing, Wright threw six innings and allowed one run on six hits and struck out five.

First Pitch: Friday, 6:20 p.m. CST

Where to Watch: AT&T SportsNet-SW

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Game 2:

Astros Starter: Cristian Javier (7-8, 2.96 ERA)

Braves Starter: Spencer Strider (7-4, 3.04 ERA)

One of Houston's strikeout leaders, Cristian Javier, will to the rubber Saturday. The right-hander will be on five days rest after throwing six shutout innings and giving up just one hit on Sunday.

Spencer Strider will start for the Braves in game two. Strider is coming off of a solid start against the New York Mets on Monday. In the outing, the righty went five innings, allowing just one run and striking out four.

First Pitch: Saturday, 6:15 p.m. CST

Where to Watch: FOX

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Game 3:

Astros Starter: Jose Urquidy (11-4, 3.69 ERA)

Braves Starter: Charlie Morton (6-5, 4.04 ERA)

Jose Urquidy will get the start in the series finale on Sunday. The starter from Mexico last pitched on Monday when he struck out four and allowed just one run in 7 2/3 innings.

Charlie Morton is scheduled to start for Atlanta on Sunday. Morton had a dominant performance on Tuesday against the Mets. The righty went 6 2/3 innings, allowing no runs and striking out 12.

First Pitch: Sunday, 12:35 p.m. CST

Where to Watch: AT&T SportsNet-SW

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Players to Watch:

Astros: Will Smith

Smith will be facing his former team for the first time since being traded to the Astros earlier this month. The lefty reliever has pitched just 4 2/3 innings for Houston and has struck out five. Smith recorded two saves against his current team in the World Series last year. The Astros will be happy to have his arm in their bullpen this time around.

Houston Astros reliever Will Smith / © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Braves: Dansby Swanson

Swanson has seen the most at-bats for the Braves this season. The former Vanderbilt Commodore is hitting .292/.347/.455 this season and has added 136 hits to lead the team. Swanson batted just .200 against the Astros in the World Series, but made the most of his hits as he cracked two home runs and tallied three RBI.

Atlanta Braves Dansby Swanson / © Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

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