WORLD SERIES, GAME 4: RHP ZACK GREINKE (0-0, 7.71) VS. TBA
HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros and Braves will play Game 4 of the 117th World Series tonight in the middle game of three in Atlanta…the Astros will start veteran RHP Zack Greinke tonight in what will be his 21st career postseason start…the Braves will counter
with an opener in advance of a bullpen game.
BACK IN THE CLASSIC: The Astros are playing in their fourth World Series in franchise history, previously doing so in 2005, 2017 and 2019…of the Astros three previous trips, this marks the second time for Houston to be down 1-2 after three games…they also faced a
1-2 deficit in the 2019 World Series, which ended in a loss in seven games to the Nationals
ASTROS WORLD SERIES APPS. RESULT
2005 Astros vs. White Sox White Sox in 4
2017 Astros vs. Dodgers Astros in 7
2019 Astros vs. Nationals Nationals in 7
2021 Astros vs. Braves
AT THE HELM: Astros Manager Dusty Baker is the ninth manager in MLB history to win the pennant in both leagues (also the 2002 Giants)…Baker ranks eighth all-time in postseason managerial wins with 39, including a 16-10 record in the postseason as the Astros manager…by virtue of the Astros AL West title this season, Baker is the only manager in MLB history to win division titles with five different clubs (Astros, Nationals, Reds, Cubs, Giants).
ON THE OFFENSIVE: Last night marked just the third time this postseason for the Astros to be held to four or fewer runs…despite last night’s shutout, the Astros are still averaging 5.8 runs per game this postseason, scoring five or more runs in 10 of their13 contests…according to MLB Network, they are one game shy of the Major League record for five-run games in a single postseason, which was set by the 2015 Royals, who scored five-plus runs in 11 games.
TWO-OUT MAGIC: The Astros have scored 76 runs this postseason, 46 of those coming with two outs in the inning, which is tied with the 2004 Red Sox and the 1997 Indians for second-most in a single postseason in MLB history…according to MLB Network, only last year’s Dodgers (59) have scored more two-out runs in a single postseason than this year’s Astros.
BULL MARKET: The Astros bullpen has posted a 2.89 ERA (21ER/65.1IP) and a .213 opponent batting average this postseason…the group has been particularly effective in the last six games, allowing just two earned runs in 27.1 innings pitched (0.66 ERA).
ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Astros were shut out for just the sixth time in postseason franchise history last night, dropping a 2-0 game in Atlanta…the offense was stymied by Braves starter RHP Ian Anderson (0ER/5IP) and four relievers, who combined to take a no-hitter into the 8th…PH Aledmys Díaz broke up the no-hitter in the inning to represent one of the two Astros hits on the night…RHP Luis Garcia (1ER/3.2IP) pitched well in a start, striking out six in his 3.2 innings.
TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP Zack Greinke was one of the Astros most reliable starters this season, as he made a club high 29 starts, while racking up 15 quality starts, which ranked tied for sixth in the AL… he worked out of the rotation for most of the season before being slowed in September by two IL stints (COVID-19, neck soreness) and finished the season in the bullpen…Greinke has two appearances this postseason, a relief outing in the ALDS at CWS (0ER/1IP) and a start in Game 4 of the ALCS at BOS (2ER/1.1IP).
LIKE MIKE: LF Michael Brantley is a career .341 (14×41) hitter in the World Series, collecting multi-hit games in five of his 10 career contests in the Fall Classic…Brantley is having a great 2021 postseason, hitting .328 (19×58) with nine RBI in 13 games.
KYLE DRIVER: RF Kyle Tucker leads all players in RBI this postseason with his 15 RBI in 13 games… Tucker’s RBI total ranks second in franchise history for a single postseason, trailing only SS Carlos Correa, who posted 17 RBI in 13 postseason games in 2020.
M-V-PIÑA: 1B Yuli Gurriel, the reigning AL batting champ, is hitting .320 (16×50) this postseason with a double, a homer and nine RBI…he’s up to 67 career postseason hits, which ranks fourth in MLB history by a first baseman, trailing only Albert Pujols (87), Tino Martinez (83) and Steve Garvey (75).
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP ZACK GREINKE
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2021: 11-6 4.16 30 29 171.0 164 82 79 36 120
CAREER: 219-132 3.41 530 488 3110.0 2892 1263 1179 712 2809
vs. ATL W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
LAST START: ALCS GAME 4 at BOS: allowed 2 runs on 1 hit with 3 walks in 1.1 innings.
KEEP CHUGGING: the future Hall of Famer is in his 18th Major League season…was the Astros Opening Day starter, his 5th Opening Day assignment (also, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2019). • leads the club with 15 quality starts in his 28 turns this season…Houston is 16-12 in his outings and 12-3 in his quality starts. • despite missing 2 turns in the rotation, still leads the club in starts (29) and innings (171).
• has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the AL this season, ranking 2nd in walks per 9.0 (1.89),11th in innings pitched (171.0) and tied for 6th in quality starts (15)..
UP THE CHARTS: leads all active pitchers in career starts (488) and wins (219) and ranks third in strikeouts (2809)…in MLB history, he ranks 23rd in strikeouts, T-53rd in starts and T-77th in wins. • in his last appearance, has recorded 2,800 career strikeouts passing Cy
Young for 22nd on the all-time strikeout list. • his last start was his 488th of his career, which tied him with LHP Claude Osteen for 53rd all-time on MLB’s all-time starts list. • ranks T-77th in MLB history in career wins with 219, along with RHP Pedro Martinez and LHP Kenny Rogers…with one more win, would tie with LHP Jerry Reuss for 76th all-time in wins in MLB history. vs. ATL: hasn’t faced the Braves since 2019…in 11 career starts, he;s recorded a 2.75 ERA (22ER/72IP) with 77 strikeouts and a 0.96 WHIP. • in his last starts against Atlanta on May 10, 2019, he tossed 7.0 innings, allowed 1 run on 5 hits with 7 strikeouts and no walks. • has also faced the Braves once in the Postseason, 2013 NLDS Game 2, he tossed 6.0 innings allowed 2 runs on 4 hits with 3 strikeouts.
POSTSEASON: has appeared in 21 games (20 starts) in the postseason for a 4.29 ERA (52ER/109IP) with a .239 opponent batting average and 97 strikeouts.
IN THE FIELD: has not committed an error since July 5, 2019 vs. COL, going 56 games and 324.2 innings without an error. • has successfully completed 17 putouts and 29 assists this season…leads the Majors with 6 double plays turned.
ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Astros continue the 117th World Series tonight with Game 4…These clubs have not met since the 2017 regular season, and have not played in the postseason since the 2005 National League Division Series. • The Braves took Game 3, 2-0, last night to take a 2-1 series lead…The win was the club’s first World Series victory in Atlanta since October 28, 1995, when they clinched the title with a 1-0 decision over Cleveland. • The Braves win in Game 1 snapped a streak of eight straight losses in World Series games, dating to Game 2 of the 1996 series…Atlanta took a 2-0 lead in the ’96 series over the Yankees before losing four straight…They were then swept in 1999, also by the Yankees. • The Braves are 26-30 (.464) in the World Series, despite having a positive run differential (+13, 198-185). • These three games are Houston’s first trip to Atlanta since July 4-5, 2017, when they swept a
two-game series by a combined score of 26-8. • This series marks the clubs’ sixth postseason matchup and first since Houston moved to the American League in 2013…The Braves won the first three postseason series with Houston, sweeping the 1997 NLDS, before winning the 1999 NLDS, 3-1…They then swept the 2001 NLDS, before losing the 2004 NLDS in five games and the 2005 NLDS in four games. • LHP Dylan Lee is set for his first career start tonight, and his first since making 19 for Single-A Greensboro in the South Atlantic League in 2017… The 27-year-old lefty appeared in two games for the Braves in the regular season, before allowing one run, earned, over 2.2 innings in two games of this postseason. • RHP Zack Greinke is set for his 22nd career postseason appearance, 21st start…The 38-yearold righty is 4-6 with a 4.29 ERA (52 ER/109.0 IP) in his postseason career…In his lone start this postseason, Greinke went 1.1 innings and allowed two runs, earned, in a 9-2 win over Boston in Game 4 of the ALCS.
GAME 3 WIN: The Braves took a 2-1 series lead with last night’s 2-0 win. • The club has won 21 of their last 27 games (.778), dating to September 19 in San Francisco, and have not lost consecutive games over this stretch. • They have outscored the opposition 129-81 +48) over this stretch, and four of their six losses were by two runs or less. • Last night stopped a four-game losing streak in World Series Game 3s for Atlanta…Prior to last night, the club’s previous such win came over Minnesota in 1991.
FIRST START: LHP Dylan Lee is set to become the second pitcher in major league history to make his first career start in the postseason when he opens for Atlanta tonight…The first pitcher to do so was teammate A.J. Minter, who threw 3.0 scoreless innings for the Braves last season in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. • Lee’s last start came on July 23, 2017 for the Single-A Greensboro Grasshoppers, Miami’s affiliate in the South Atlantic League…He faced Asheville, Colorado’s affiliate, and took a no-decision in the Tourists’ 10-4 win. • Lee went 5.0 innings and allowed three runs, earned…The starting lineup he faced that day featured Manuel Melendez (DH), Vince Fernandez (LF), Bobby Wernes (1B), Willie Abreu (RF), Tyler Nevin (3B), Carlos Herrera (SS), Joel Diaz (C), Max George (2B) and Ben Johnson (CF). • Nevin is the only player of that nine to make the major leagues…He made his MLB debut this season, appearing in six games with Baltimore.
AT HOME: The Braves have won 11 of their last 12 games at home, including all six of their games in the postseason…The club’s only loss in this stretch, which dates to September 28, was a 4-3 loss to New York on October 1. • That lone loss came the day after the Braves clinched the NL East title. • The Braves have outscored the opposition 50-27 (+23) over this stretch, compiling a 2.08 ERA (25
ER/108.0 IP) in the 12 games. • The Braves hit 116 home runs here during the regular season, the third most in the National League.
APPEARANCES: LHP Tyler Matzek tossed a scoreless inning last night, and has appeared in 11 games so far in these playoffs to tie the franchise record for most games pitched in a single postseason. • RHP Mark Wohler had 11 appearances in 1995 to set the record.
• RHP Luke Jackson has 10 appearances so far this postseason. • The major league record for a single postseason is 14, set by Cleveland’s Paul Assenmacher in 1997 and matched by Los Angeles’ Brandon Morrow in 2017.
VS. GREINKE: OF Joc Pederson is 9-for-30 (.300) with seven extra base-hits and a .700 slugging percentage in 31 career plate appearances against RHP Zack Greinke. • Among active players with as many plate appearances against the righty, only Cody Bellinger (.897), Joey Votto (.743) and Justin Turner (.718) have a better slugging percentage.
