Houston Astros Look to Clinch Playoff Berth Against American League Worst Athletics

The Houston Astros are a rather disappointing 9-6 when facing the Oakland Athletics in 2022, but it's hard to complain about a winning record.

Nevertheless, the Athletics are a team with a .364 winning percentage and the Astros sport a .650. Any Astros player or fan could very understandably wish for a better winning percentage than .600 against the American League's worst team.

Now Houston has a chance to right that ship and clinch a playoff berth while doing so. With a magic number of two to secure a spot in the postseason, who are the Astros facing, and who will they send to the hill?

Game One: Thursday 6:20 p.m. CST - FOX | James Kapielian vs Lance McCullers Jr.

Kapielian came onto the scene as a regular starter for the first time in 2021. Since then, he's shown himself to be a reliable back-of-the-rotation arm on a non-contending team. He'll eat innings and mostly avoid disaster, yet he's surrendered 13 runs in his last 8.1 innings. Beyond that, Kaprielian doesn't have much going for him. He has not struck out many batters, nor has he avoided walks and home runs at a particularly astounding rate in 2022.

With McCullers Jr. making his sixth start of 2022, it seems the 28-year-old right has finally fallen into a groove. McCullers made his first start of over 100 pitches on Friday for 7.0 innings. His ERA is 2.20, but he has walked a rather concerning number of hitters. His walk-rate stands at 4.7 BB/9. He must remedy that figure if the Astros want to feel confident in their former ace headed into the postseason.

Game Two: Friday 7:10 p.m. CST - ATTH, MLBN | Adrián Martinez vs Justin Verlander

Martinez's Major League baptism has not gone well. Never a top prospect, few expected greatness out of Martinez, and he has delivered on the mediocrity front. Since his fantastic Major League debut in which he shutout the Detroit Tigers for 5.1 innings, no easy feat, Martinez sports a 6.48 ERA. On Sept. 4 he served notice to the AL West with a 6.0 inning shutout of Baltimore, but followed it on Saturday with a 14-hit, 7-run disaster against the Chicago White Sox.

Verlander is set to make his first start since Aug. 28 when he left a game against the Orioles with a right calf injury. At age-39, Verlander is having perhaps the best season of his career, sporting 1.84 ERA in 24 starts. Since Jun. 24, his ERA is 1.29 and his FIP is 1.91.

Game Three: Saturday 6:10 p.m. CST - ATTH | Cole Irvin vs José Urquidy

Acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies for cash following the 2020 season, Irvin has been one of the lone bright spots for Oakland in 2022. He's a contact first pitcher, pitching to few strikeouts, but fewer walks or home runs. His 3.73 ERA stands out as the best on Oakland's staff post-trade deadline, but his 8.47 ERA since Aug. 30, does not.

Urquidy has been rather up-and-down of late. One week he'll give you 7.0 innings of shutout ball with eight strikeouts, the next will be a 5.0 inning, six-run blowup against the same team. Though Urquidy has a 3.50 ERA since the beginning of August, it doesn't feel that way. He's had three starts of exactly 5.0 innings and given up 14 runs across those outings.

Game Four: Sunday 1:10 p.m. CST - ATTH | Ken Waldichuk vs Framber Valdez

Waldichuk is an unknown quantity. Traded to the A's from the New York Yankees for Frankie Montas, he made an appearance at the 2022 Futures Games and had an 2.84 ERA across 21 upper-minor league starts in 2022. He's made three Major League starts since his call-up on Sept. 1, averaging 5.0 innings and a 5.40 ERA. It's hard to pinpoint Waldichuk's shortcomings, since they have been different every start, but he without a doubt has the highest ceiling of any A's starter.

Opposing Waldichuk is Valdez, looking for a record-breaking 25th consecutive quality start. It takes looking all the way back to Apr. 19 to find Valdez's last start of fewer than 6.0 innings. If his last start was any indication — a complete game shutout with only one walks and eight strikeouts — Houston may be in for something special.

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