It may be a bit overshadowed by that other ALDS matchup that features two certain rivals, but the Houston Astros vs Cleveland Indians, which pits the last two World Series champs against each other, is going to be a scintillating best-of-five series.
Every game in the series, starting with Game 1 on Friday at 2:05 p.m. ET, will be broadcast on TBS. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of every game (or DVR them) on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
TBS is one of 85 channels included in the main Fubo bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch the game up to three days after it airs even if you forgot to record it or signed up late.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including TBS. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
TBS is included in both the “Sling Orange” and the “Sling Blue” channel packages. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of either, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
Preview
Game 1 opens with two Cy Young winners: Justin Verlander vs. Corey Kluber.
No “opener” here.
Verlander finished the year with a 2.52 ERA (third in the AL among qualified starters), 2.78 FIP (third) and 6.8 WAR (first). He struck out 290 batters (first) in 214 innings (second in K/9). Kluber compiled a 2.89 ERA (fifth), 3.12 FIP (seventh) and 5.6 WAR (fifth). He struck out 222 (third) in 215 innings (12th in K/9).
In other words, both are absolute studs. And those who recall Verlander’s 2017 ALCS or Kluber’s entire 2016 postseason know that neither shy away from the big moment. One or two runs may be enough to win Game 1.
And Game 2 could very well be of a similar nature.
Gerrit Cole was the only qualified starter in the AL with a better K/9 rate than his teammate this season, striking out a silly 276 in 200.1 innings. He also finished with a sparkling 2.88 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. He’ll be opposed by Carlos Carrasco, who had a very good year but was especially dominant post All-Star break, compiling a 2.52 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 119 strikeouts in 89.1 innings. He’s given up three earned runs or less in 14 of his last 16 starts.
Game 3 looks like it will be Dallas Keuchel vs Mike Clevinger. Both have been a bit less consistent than their front-of-the-rotation counterparts, but both also have the ability to shut down offenses on any given night.
Offensively, the Astros are hoping that October baseball helps some of their stars break out of recent slumps. Since the start of September, Jose Altuve is hitting .256/.360/.384, while Carlos Correa has been anemic with a slash line of .194/.292/.290 with just one home run in 72 plate appearances. Guys like Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel and George Springer have helped carry the load, but Altuve and Correa need to get going if they’re going to handle Cleveland’s elite pitching staff.
The Indians, meanwhile, have some concerns of their own. They’ve been hitting the ball pretty well as a team, but it hasn’t translated to results as of late. They went just 14-14 during September, with most of those games against poor competition. Not really having much to play for during that stretch likely has something to do with the mediocre results, but they’ll nevertheless need to regain their focus now that the games matter again.
All-in-all, this shapes up as a tremendous series between the last two World Series champions.
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How to Watch Astros vs Indians ALDS Online Without Cable