Will being on the road help Astros in ALDS?

Plus: Shadow factor

October 10, 2023 MINNEAPOLIS -- The Astros have been hounded by questions in recent weeks about why they haven't played well at home this season, so it's only fair to ask why they've been so good on the road. After splitting the first two games of the American League Division Series at Minute Maid Park against the Twins, the Astros will try to rely on their road dominance to reach their seventh consecutive AL Championship Series. Game 3 of the ALDS is Tuesday at Target Field. Houston was 51-30 on the road this season, including 14-3 in its last 17 games. "That's one thing I asked them in Spring Training [is] to be the best road team in the league," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "I wish I asked them to be the best road and home team, but I assumed they were going to be a good home team." That wasn't the case, with the club posting a .797 OPS with 130 homers on the road this year and a .735 OPS with 92 homers at home. On the mound, Astros pitchers had a 3.62 ERA and .706 opponents' OPS on the road and a 4.24 ERA and .741 opponents' OPS at home. Just as the Astros never really came up with a viable theory for their home woes, there are no concrete answers why they've played so well on the road. The Astros posted road sweeps at Atlanta and at Texas, outscoring the Rangers, 36-10, in three games in September, but they were swept at home by the Yankees and Royals that month. "I've tried to think about it," Baker said. "I know it was easier for me to play on the road because there weren't any distractions. All do you is just think about the game, sleep and eat. There's no go to the laundry or the bank. I know my daughter used to wake me up when I was at home, like 5 o'clock [in the morning], to tell me the sun is up, you know what I mean? I was like, 'That's good, honey,' and I could never go back to sleep. On the road, I can turn my phone off. I can just sleep and feel rested and just think about baseball and baseball only." Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, who slashed .273/.368/.472 with 14 homers and 56 RBIs on the road compared to .250/.358/.405 with 11 homers and 42 RBIs at home, said the Astros have confidence no matter which ballparks they play in. "I don't really know," he said when asked about Houston's road success. GAME OF SHADOWS When the Astros played at Target Field in April, they had an issue with the glare off the batter's eye during a 3-2 loss in a day game. Catcher Martín Maldonado couldn't catch a pair of fastballs in the 10th inning, which helped the Twins push across the tying and winning runs. He said the glare coming from the center-field batter's eye made it difficult for him to see pitches up in the zone. That game, which began with the field entirely in the sun, ended with the infield in the shade and the outfield in the sun. The infield will be partially shaded at first pitch of Game 3 on Tuesday and the entire field will be completely in the shade by game's end. "Yeah, I remember nobody could see," Baker said. "I just hope nobody gets plunked, nobody gets hit. In those situations, you don't have much time to get out of the way of things, especially if you don't see. I'm just hoping that we play a good, clean game, which I anticipate. But the shadows are a factor." Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña said if the shadows are a factor for Houston, they'll be a factor for the Twins, too. "If they've got to play in it, we're playing it," he said. "It's just part of the game at this point. They've got to deal with it, and we've got to deal with it. No excuses." DUSTY QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Sometimes I wear it when I want to feel like a champion. I got a few friends around that want to see it. Like I said, I don't wear it that often. It's big. It's beautiful. But I'm recognized enough. When I have this one, it's a topic of conversation I'd rather not be recognized. If you recognize me, fine. If you don't, I'm not going to show off. Plus, sometimes it snags on my clothes." -- Baker when asked about wearing his 2022 World Series ring to a press conference Monday. CHANGES AFOOT Astros general manager Dana Brown said last week he was set to make six promotions in his front office at the conclusion of the season. The first dominoes from those impending moves have started to fall with the club cutting ties with assistant general manager Bill Firkus and director of player development Sara Goodrum, Brown confirmed Monday. Brown didn't want to discuss those moves specifically but said there are "multiple front-office promotions" coming at the end of the season. "I'm going to promote the really strong candidates we have internally, and as a result there's going to be some changes," he said. Firkus spent a decade in the organization, rising from a role in sports medicine and performance science to being promoted to assistant GM last November; Goodrum joined the Astros from the Brewers in December 2021 and oversaw the team's player development. FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW To subscribe to Astros Beat, visit this page and mark "Astros Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Astros or that they're checked as your favorite team. View Online    © 2023 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Please review our Privacy Policy. You (gahleexholly.hdhask@blogger.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. Please add info@mail.mlblists.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. 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