Hope everybody's comfortable, because this tale isn't one for the faint-hearted. Our story focuses on two teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Houston Astros, sparring in the grand arena of Minute Maid Park. A batter's paradise, one might say.
Taking center stage for Arizona is Ryne Nelson, a man with 4.08 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 25 appearances this season. Over on the Houston mound is Justin Verlander, a bit lackluster with a 4.60 ERA and a WHIP of 1.33 despite just 13 appearances. But hey, who's counting?
Swinging for the fences for the Diamondbacks are Kevin Newman with his charming .317 batting average, along with Corbin Carroll who's good for a sneaky steal or two. Also worth mentioning are Jake McCarthy and Eugenio Suarez, both solid contributors.
Coming in hot for the Astros are Yordan Alvarez and his intimidating .374 batting average and Alex Bregman, the man with the golden glove and six homers. Let's not forget Yainer Diaz – no slouch either!
When it comes to past clashes, it's been a bit one-sided recently. The Astros, better known as the 'Cactus Crushers', have been putting the Diamondbacks through a rough and tumble rinse cycle.
While the Diamondbacks have a slightly better regular season record here (79-64 compared to 77-65), it seems Houston's been thriving on their home turf. Looking at the recent past, Houston's been having the upper hand, winning comfortably against the Diamondbacks.
Looking at all this evidence, court is ready to pass verdict.
Albert’s Prediction: Houston Astros by 3