Inside the Astros

Why are Astros Benching Diaz in Pivotal ALDS Matchup with Twins?

The Houston Astros released their starting lineup for Wednesday's Game 4 of the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins. Dusty Baker made two noticeable changes to his lineup.

Jack Vita

Why are Astros Benching Diaz in Pivotal ALDS Matchup with Twins?
Why are Astros Benching Diaz in Pivotal ALDS Matchup with Twins? /
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The Houston Astros will try to close out the Minnesota Twins Wednesday evening in the American League Division Series. With a win, the Astros would clinch their seventh-straight ALCS appearance.

Houston released their starting lineup for Wednesday's game, which is set to start at 7:07 p.m. ET at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Astros manager Dusty Baker made a pair of noticeable changes to his lineup, rolling out a different starting nine than the one he trotted out in Tuesday's 9-1 victory over the Twins.

The most notable was Baker swapping out star rookie Yainer Diaz for veteran Michael Brantley in a surprising move.

Diaz batted sixth on Tuesday, going 0-for-5 and striking out four times.

Brantley started both Game 1 and Game 2 over the weekend, going 2-for-7 with a pair of base hits. Diaz was the club's designated hitter Tuesday. Brantley will occupy the designated hitter position Wednesday.

The benching likely comes after the lack off production from the rookie during his first career postseason start.

Batting seventh and playing center field will be Chas McCormick. The young star was in center field for both Game 1 and Game 2 over the weekend, going 2-for-8. He received a day off on Tuesday, but he returns to the starting lineup Wednesday.

Taking the mound for Houston on Wednesday will be veteran Jose Urquidy (3-3, 5.29 ERA).

He was named the Game 4 starter by Baker, following their 9-1 victory in Game 3.

The manager had been deciding between Urquidy and rookie JP France, but ultimately gave the nod to the veteran with postseason experience.

Here's a look at how the Astros will line up Wednesday against the Twins:

  1. 2B Jose Altuve
  2. 3B Alex Bregman
  3. DH Yordan Alvarez
  4. RF Kyle Tucker
  5. 1B Jose Abreu
  6. LF Michael Brantley
  7. CF Chas McCormick
  8. SS Jeremy Pena
  9. Martin Maldonado

First pitch is set for 7:07 p.m. ET.

Minnesota needs a victory in order to force a Game 5. If Houston wins, they will advance to play the Texas Rangers in the ALCS.

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Jack Vita
JACK VITA

Jack Vita is a writer and contributor to Sports Illustrated's Inside the Astros, and host of the Jack Vita Show, a popular sports podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever podcasts are found. Jack is a 2017 graduate of Valparaiso University, in northwest Indiana. Since completing his degree, Jack has created his own independent sports media outlet (JackVita.com) and podcast (the Jack Vita Show). He has featured prominent guests from the worlds of sports and entertainment including Brian Urlacher, Scot Pollard, Bob Nightengale, Dan O'Dowd, and Survivor icons Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Cirie Fields, Danni Boatwright and "the Dragon Slayer", Coach Benjamin Wade. While studying at Valparaiso, Jack was the school newspaper's beat writer for the Valpo Crusaders men's basketball team, which won three straight Horizon League championships from 2015-2017. Traveling to cover the team, Jack had a front row seat to one of the nation's best mid-major teams, headlined by future NBA Draft pick Alec Peters and coached by NCAA Tournament hero Bryce Drew. Jack hosted a weekly sports radio show and provided play-by-play and color commentary services for ESPN 3 and the university's student radio station, WVUR-FM, 95.1 The Source, covering Valparaiso men's soccer, women's basketball, softball and volleyball. Jack also covered these sports, in addition to men's and women's tennis, baseball and women's soccer for the school newspaper, The Torch. While he was in college, Jack interned for and co-hosted Jewell On Sports, a sports radio program on AM 1050 WLIP in Kenosha, Wisconsin. There, he interviewed various pro athletes such as Ahman Green, Javon Walker and Javier Arenas, in addition to talking sports with the late, great Brad Jewell. Jack also interned for 22nd Century Media, a now defunct newspaper corporation that provided news to the North Shore of Chicago. With 22nd Century Media, Jack wrote post-game recaps, feature stories about local athletes, reviews of local restaurants and compiled the newspaper's "Pet of the Week" and "Athlete of the Week" sections, while providing copy-editing services. Before attending Valparaiso, Jack enrolled at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he studied for two years before transferring. He is a high school graduate of New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Illinois. You can follow Jack on Twitter @JackVitaShow, subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, wherever podcasts are found, and reach him via email at jack@jackvita.com.

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