I do not like the word "scared" being used in here. Astros is the only team in Houston, which will not disappoint in you, the GM and the players are not going to take them lightly. Only thing we need is a bit lucky in the tight games, everything else will be fine.
Nats beat two teams with HCV, they are not going to do it in three in row. Is there any team which did it before? I say Astros win it in five or six. No game 7 is necessary, sorry Nats fan.
Even with the odds I'm still cautiously optimistic. Anything can happen in baseball and the Nats were one of the best teams in the 2nd half of the season.
They had a terrible first 50 games due to injuries and bullpen issues. After that, they were tied for the best record in MLB, along with the Astros, lol. The Nats are no joke and their top-line talent belongs on the field with the Astros' top-line talent.
Disclaimer - I played ball for a long time, so I understand where folks say we should take it one game at a time, and all. (practical & superstitious) But, I'm not playing anymore, and, since we're not in the middle of a game, will speak my mind NOW. I just saw some analyst try to prop up the Nats by comparing the postseason numbers against those of the Astros. That's just ridiculous, but actually relates to the situation, as the media is attempting to make this appear closer than it really is. Again, our guys won't have this mentality, as players,but we just played the World Series. Just as many thought before the start of the season, there is still nothing in the National League that approaches US or NY. And, we HANDLED the Yankees. Keep this in perspective...on a historic scale. We're a dynasty in motion, and to bet against us is foolhardy. The Astros sport a modern day Murderer's Row....that has been pretty quiet..Even though we left a lot of runners on base,we came through when it was needed. This team is loaded with "clutch" hitters. ( guys that haven't really gotten off yet) While the Nationals starters are better than NY's, the bullpen sucks (as opposed to us) for the most part. (with one exception) This is a far cry from the Yankees pen. Washington has been "hot" at the plate, a euphemism for playing over their heads. The Astros are the real deal, and will bring it offensively in the Series. Our starters and their starters are basically even. Other than that we have them in pretty much every category. Throw in experience...which is huge...What about Cole opening, and likely burning their best starter from the get go? Expect JV to pitch deep into game 2...both here in Houston. While I applaud & respect them, on coming of age... partly the cyclical nature of baseball (which doesn't always play out..See Cubs/Red Sox)....the Nationals, I believe, deep down are just happy to get here. The Astros impose their mammoth will on the Nats. This is a better team than the one who responded every time against the Dodgers two years ago. This is the team that shook off the initial game, and from there on played at a different level taking four of the next five..including two out of three in NY. And, finally, this is the team that did it again, after NY tied it.....with the Altuve walkoff. If I was still a betting man, I'd be playing us hard each game. Astros in 5 +440
It’s baseball anything can happen in a 7 game series and they have some stud starting pitching and a couple great hitters. But we are flat better than them at everything and we should win. If we played this out 100 times we’d win 65 or 70 series.
They seem similar to the Rays to me - better hitting team but their staff is a little worse than the Rays’.
In spite of not having Sevy for almost the whole season and playing in the AL vs the NL, the Yankees put up some better numbers than the Nationals - including having a lower SIERA and xFIP this season. It also goes without saying the Yankees’ lineup is clearly superior to the Nationals’.
Don’t sleep on the Nationals they are very hot right now. On paper this should be a quick series but as they say the game isn’t played in paper.