Stat break: 1973 Houston Astros

 

Hitters

Name              AB   R   H   RBI  2B  3B  HR  BB  SB  Avg,
J Alou               9     0     2     2        1    0    0     0      0    .222
Campbell          0     1     0     0        0    0   0     0      0      ---
Cedeno           52     8   15     6        4    0    2     3      6    .288
Edwards         29     2     9     6        3    0    0     3      0    .310
Gallagher       15     1     4     1        1    0    0     0      0    .267
Helms            48     5   16     9        5    0    1     1      0    .333
Jutze              12     1     2     0        0    0    0     2      0    .167
L May            53     5   15     9       3    0    2     0      0     .283
Metzger         44     5    11    3        2    0     1    2      1    .250
Rader             48     8    11    4        2    0    1     4      0    .229
Stewart            4     0     0     0        0    0     0     0      0    .000
Sutherland       4     1     3     1        1    0     0     0      0    .750
Torres              1     0     0     0        0    0     0     0      0    .000
Watson          45     6   13     3         3    0    0     5     0     .289
Wynn            48   14   16   10         2    0    4     6       1    .333

Pitchers

Name              G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.   W    L     ERA

Crawford         7      0      5.6       3     0     0       1      5        4      0     0       0.00
Forsch             2      2    12          9     7     7       4    11        0      0     1       5.25
Griffin             4      0      8          6     6     6       5      5        0      0     0       6.75

Ray                 6     0       9        12     3     3       3      4        0      0     0       3.00
Reuss              4      4    24.6     26   21   21     14     20        0      2     2      7.66

Richard           3      0      8          7     6     6    11      12        0      0     0       6.75

Roberts           3       3    18.3    19   10   10       5       7       0      2      1       4.91
Upshaw          5       0      4.3       5     4     2       2      6        0      0     0       4.16
Wilson            3      3    12.3       9   12   10     21    12        0      1     2       7.30 
York               3      0       3.6      8     5     4        0      2         0     0     0       9.81

Dixie bracket: 2019 Braves defeat 1973 Astros in five games

Game One: Astros 11, Braves 7
WP: Reuss (2-1)
LP: Swarzak (1-1)
HR: Riley (1), Hechavarria (1), Wynn (2)

Game Two: Braves 6, Astros 5
WP: Swarzak (2-1)
LP: York (0-1)
Save: Jackson (1)
HR: Freeman (1), Cedeno (2), Wynn (3), McCann (2)

Game Three: Braves 7, Astros 5
WP: Teheran (2-0)
LP: Roberts (2-1)
Save: Jackson (2)
HR: Helms (1), Wynn (4), Swanson (1), Riley (2)

Game Four: Braves 10, Astros 6
WP: Foltynewicz (1-0)
LP: Wilson (1-2)
HR: Albies 2 (3), Swanson (2)

Game Five: Braves 6, Astros 3
WP: Soroka (2-0)
LP: Reuss (2-2)
Save: Jackson (3)
HR: L May (2)

There was only one quality start in the five games -- Mike Soroka in the finale -- and the deeper Atlanta lineup ultimately overpowered Houston.

Game One,  played in suburban Atlanta's SunTrust Park, went to the Astros, however. Both starters, Soroka and Jerry Reuss, gave up five runs in the first two innings. Adeiny Hechavarria hit a three-run pinch-hit homer to help the Braves even the score. But Jim Wynn promptly untied it with a homer off Anthony Swarzak, and even though there were still plenty of runs scored, the Braves never again caught up. Wynn scored three runs for the Astros.

Houston jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings of Game Two, with Wynn and Cesar Cedeno each hitting two-run homers off Max Fried. Fried managed to get though six innings -- the Atlanta bullpen was vulnerable after working six innings in the previous game -- but Astros starter Ken Forsch carried a 5-1 lead into the seventh. But the first three men reached in the seventh, and Forsch departed with the bases loaded. Dansby Swanson greeted Jim York with an RBI single, and Brian McCann followed with a grand slam to take the lead. Shane Greene and Luke Jackson each worked a hitless inning to preserve the lead.

The series moved to the Astrodome for Game Three. The Braves scored two in the top of the first; the Astros scored four in the bottom of the inning, with Wynn hitting a solo homer to lead off and Tommy Helms a three-run shot with two outs. The Braves evened the score in the second and took the lead in the third on an Austin Riley homer, and the Astros never caught up. Julio Teheran held the Astros scoreless from the second inning until there were two outs in the seventh.

The Astros again scored early in Game Four, and the Braves knocked Don Wilson from the game in the second, with Swanson and Ozzie Albies each hitting a homer. Albies hit another homer in the third. Houston scored three in the fourth to make the score 8-5 Atlanta, but the Braves scored two more in the sixth and held the Astros to one run in the final five innings.

Soroka held Houston to one hit and two walks in five innings of Game Five, leaving for a pinch-hitter (who drove in a run with a single) in the top of the sixth. He turned over a 5-0 lead. Jacob Webb and Josh Tomlin combined to allow three runs, but the Braves got one run back in the top of the ninth, and Jackson wrapped up the game and the series with his third save, all of them 1-2-3 innings with one strikeout.

Player availability: No injuries, rested bullpen for Atlanta going into the third round

Projected rotation: Fried-Teheran-Foltynewicz-Kuechel-(Fried)-(Teheran)-(Foltynewicz). Keuchel replaces Soroka; If Atlanta advances, whoever starts the final game of the series is deactivated and the new pitcher works Game Four of the following series. 

Stat break: 1973 Houston Astros

Hitters

Name              AB   R   H   RBI  2B  3B  HR  BB  SB  Avg,
J Alou               6     0     1     1        0    0    0     0      0    .167
Campbell          0     1     0     0        0    0   0     0      0      ---
Cedeno           32     5   10     2        3    0    1     2      2    .313
Edwards         15     1     4     3        1    0    0     3      0    .267
Gallagher       14     1     4     1        1    0    0     0      0    .286
Helms            28     2   10     3        3    0    0     1      0    .357
Jutze                 8     1     1     0        0    0    0     2      0    .125
L May            32     1     9     6        2    0    1     0      0    .281
Metzger          25     3     5     1        1    0     1    1      1    .200
Rader             29     5    10    4        1    0    1     2      0    .345
Stewart            2     0     0     0        0    0     0     0      0    .000
Sutherland       1     0     0     0        0    0     0     0      0    .000
Torres              1     0     0     0        0    0     0     0      0    .000
Watson          27     3     9     0         3    0    0      3     0     .333
Wynn            28     6      8     5        1    0    1      5      1    .286

Pitchers

Name              G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.   W    L     ERA

Crawford         5      0      3.6       1     0     0       0      4        4      0     0       0.00
Forsch             1      1      6          4     3     3       1      7        0      0     1       4.50
Griffin             2      0      3          3     3     3       3      3        0      0     0       9.00

Ray                 4      0      5          5     1     1       1      2        0      0     0       1.80
Reuss              2      2    11.6     12   11   11       4     10        0      1     1       8.48

Richard            2      0      4          3     3     3      6      7        0      0     0       6.75

Roberts           2       2    14.3    12     5     5       5       5       0      2      0       3.14
Upshaw          3       0      1.3       5     4     2       2      3        0      0     0     13.35
Wilson            2      2    11          5     4     6      15      7        0      1     1       3.27
York                1      0      2         3     2      1       0      2         0     0     0       4.50

Dixie bracket: 1973 Astros defeat 2009 Rays in seven games

Game One: Astros 5, Rays 4
WP: Reuss (1-0)
LP: Shields (0-1)
Save: J Crawford (1)
HR: Wynn (1), Cedeno (1)

Game Two: Astros 4, Rays 2
WP: Roberts (1-0)
LP: Garza (0-1)
Save: J Crawford (2)
HR: Zahn (1), Metzger (1)

Game Three: Rays 6, Astros 2
WP: Niemann (1-0)
LP: Wilson (0-1)
HR: B Upton (1)

Game Four: Rays 5, Astros 1
WP: Price (1-0)
LP: K Forsch (0-1)
HR: Pena (1)

Game Five: Rays 14, Astros 6
WP: Shields (1-1)
LP: Reuss (1-1)
HR: Crawford (1), Navarro (1)

Game Six: Astros 5, Rays 4
WP: Roberts (2-0)
LP: Choate (0-1)
Save: J Crawford (3)
HR: L May (1)

Game Seven: Astros 6, Rays 3
WP: Wilson (1-1)
LP: Niemann (1-1)
Save: J Crawford (4)
HR: Pena 2 (3), Wynn (2)

The visitors won every game of the all-dome series, and Jim Crawford got the final out in all four of Houston's victories. Three of his saves were one-batter appearances.

Jim Wynn hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning of Game One in Tropicana Field, and Cesar Cedeno added a solo shot in the ninth for a vital insurance run. Jerry Reuss went 8.6 innings for the win. After Reuss and Cecil Upshaw allowed back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the ninth to allow the Rays to pull within a run, Jim Crawford entered to strike out Carl Crawford to end the game.

Roger Metzger hit an unlikely homer to cap a three-run rally in the second inning of Game Two, and Dave Roberts made the early support stand up. He allowed one run on five hits in seven innings. Jim Ray got five outs befor allowing two hits and a run in the ninth; once again, Jim Crawford entered to retire Carl Crawford for the final out, this time on a fly to center.

The series moved to the Astrodome and 1973 for Game Three, and the Rays turned it around. Jeff Niemann allowed 10 hits in 5.1 innings, but the Astros only got two runs out of all that action. B.J. Upton hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and Tampa Bay took advantage of three Houston errors to score three unearned runs.

David Price held the Astros hitless for eight innings in Game Four. The lefty walked four and struck out two. Meanwhile, Jason Bartlett drove in three runs with a single and a double and Gregg Zahn went 3-for-3 with a walk, a double and two runs scored. Cedeno led off the ninth with a infield single and thowing error; Price was immediately pulled for Russ Springer, who allowed a double to Lee May that plated Cedeno for the only Houston run.

The Rays took the series lead in Game Five, pounding Jerry Reuss for seven runs in the fourth inning. The first nine hitters reached in that inning on five singles, a double, a homer, a walk and an error. Carl Crawford had four hits, including a three-run homer, and scored three times.

That sent the series back to St. Petersburg, where Game Six was time for a change. The Rays scored four times in the first two innings, but Dave Roberts kept them off the scoreboard after that. Lee May drove in three runs, the last one putting the Astros ahead in the seventh. Jim Crawford again got the last out against a lefty hitter, this time getting Carlos Pena on a fly to right with the tying run on.

That sent the series to Game Seven. Pena homered in each of his first two at-bats against Don Wilson, but the fireballing righty didn't allow another run until the eighth. Wynn homered in the first off Niemann, Bob Gallagher capped a run of singles with an RBI knock in the fourth to tie the game, Lee May singled home the go-ahead run in the fifth and Doug Rader homered in the eighth before the Astros pieced together a two-run ninth on two walks, a hit batter, a stolen base, a single and an error. Jim Crawford got the last six outs for his fourth save.

Player availability: Crawford should not pitch more than an inning in Game One

Projected rotation: Reuss-Forsch-Roberts-Wilson-(Reuss)-(Forsch)-(Roberts)