For the Astros, this three-game series in Cleveland is relatively meaningless. Other than keeping the players healthy, there’s nothing you have to play for. Yes, the Guardians were just one game behind the Yankees for first place in the AL, but New York also held the tiebreaker, so it effectively has a two-game lead with just three games left to play. If the seedings stay the same, the third-seeded Astros would face the second-seeded Guardians in the ALDS if they advance out of the Wild Card round.

However, we did see plenty of Ronel Blanco and Spencer Arrighetti, which was generally a good thing this season. Blanco didn’t have his best swing-and-miss performance on the night, producing just five whiffs on 45 swings and three strikeouts, but he held the Guardians to one hit and two walks in five scoreless innings. Blanco finishes his 2024 season with an impressive 2.80 ERA over 167 ¹⁄₃ innings.

Arrighetti would throw the next two ¹⁄₃ innings, posting four strikeouts before being ejected in the eighth inning, which may shed light on how the Astros will use the two right-handers, with Blanco in the starting lineup and Arrighetti in the starting lineup depending on the situation. It’s an arrangement that could optimize Arrighetti’s swing-and-miss potential, which is an intriguing option for a bullpen, potentially without Tayler Scott, to fill the gap from starting pitcher to the trio of Josh Hader, Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu. Speaking of Abreu and Hader, both appeared, with the former scoring twice ²⁄₃ of an inning and the latter hopes to get a suboptimal outing out of his system before the Wild Card Series.

The team played a solid game for the most part. A total of 13 hits with five runs scored. Kyle Tucker looks increasingly ready for the postseason with three goals tonight. Jose Altuve had two doubles and a walk and scored two runs. Alex Bregman also had three hits, including two doubles. Victor Caratini and Zach Dezenzo each had solo home runs but also struck out three times. A 5-0 lead after five innings. Of course, the Guardians would score two runs in the bottom half of the ninth to create some drama at the end.

Ultimately, the Astros did well considering they got the win without any fear of further injuries at the moment. However, Yordan Alvarez’s status for next week’s Wild Card Series remains in limbo. But Houston will face either the Tigers or Royals next week as both have secured a spot in the postseason.