
Mandatory Credit: Photo by David J Phillip/AP/Shutterstock (13434549b) Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier throws against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game, in Houston Rays Astros Baseball, Houston, United States – 01 Oct 2022
World Series Game 4 Preview: facts and storylines for Astros vs. Phillies
After a terrible outing for both Lance McCullers Jr. and the Astros’ offense in Game 3, which allowed the Phillies to take a lopsided 7-0 victory and 2-1 series lead, Houston will return to Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday night trying to draw even in the series.
While not an elimination game, the manner in which the Astros lost on Tuesday night will demand a change of momentum for Houston in Game 4 if they hope to win three of the next four games and win the series. Here’s a look at the matchup:
Game Facts
When: Wednesday, 11/01/2022, 7:03 p.m. CT
Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
TV/Streaming: FOX / FOX Sports App
Pitching Matchup: Cristian Javier (11-9, 2.54 ERA) vs. Aaron Nola (3.25 ERA).
Series: PHI leads 2-1
Series Schedule
Date & Time (Central) | Location | Pitching Matchup | |
Game 1 | PHI 6, HOU 5 | Minute Maid Park, Houston | Verlander vs. Nola |
Game 2 | HOU 5, PHI 2 | Minute Maid Park, Houston | Valdez vs. Wheeler |
Game 3 | PHI 7, HOU 0 | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia | McCullers Jr. vs. Suárez |
Game 4 | Wed 11/2, 7:03 p.m. | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia | Javier vs. Nola |
Game 5 | Thu 11/3, 7:03 p.m. | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia | Verlander vs. Syndergaard^ |
Game 6* | Sat 11/5, 7:03 p.m. | Minute Maid Park, Houston | Valdez vs. Wheeler^ |
Game 7* | Sun 11/6, 7:03 p.m. | Minute Maid Park, Houston | TBD |
^ Projected starters
Big expectations for Javier
After the postponement of Game 3 to move the series back a day, Dusty Baker did have an opportunity to pivot away from Cristian Javier and bring back Justin Verlander in Game 4, similar to what the Phillies are doing with Aaron Nola. Instead, Baker will give the ball to the young right-hander for Game 4, and after the rough Game 3 loss, a strong outing from Javier is imperative.
He’ll look to replicate what he did against the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS, where he went 5.1 innings while allowing just one hit and striking out five as the Astros would back him up with more quality bullpen work and five runs to get him a win. Luckily for Houston, they only had to use one of their high-leverage relievers in Game 3, Ryne Stanek, leaving them plenty of rested arms available behind Javier. The hope for Hoston will be that the call to the bullpen happens later in the game and with a lead.
You can’t win if you don’t score
McCullers Jr.’s terrible outing notwithstanding, the Astros managed no runs on five hits against the Phillies in Game 3. While it’s promising that most of those hits came from the bottom of Houston’s order, the Astros need more production from the top when it gets flipped over to take advantage of the production from the bottom of the lineup.
After stringing together four straight games with hits to break out of his postseason slump, Jose Altuve went 0-for-4 in Game 3, with the top five of Altuve, Jeremy Pena, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker managing to go just 1-for-18 with two walks. There will need to be more sparks ignited by those batters to start the big innings they will likely need to match Philadelphia’s potent offense in their home stadium.