The Astros took care of the Twins in two games in the best of three Wild Card Series this week, having the day on Thursday to sit and find out who they would be playing next week in the best of five game American League Division Series. Turns out they will get to see their AL West rival the Oakland A's after they were able to defeat the Chicago White Sox in game three of their Wild Card Series yesterday. All five games of this ALDS will be played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, without fans in the stands of course. You can hear all of the action right here on SportsTalk 790 with Robert Ford and Steve Sparks on the call, all five games of the series will be televised on TBS. Start times for the games and the pitching matchups have yet to be set, but the series will take place with no days off between games, starting Monday and finishing on Friday of next week if all five games are required to be played. Oakland ended the Astros run of three straight division titles this year, clinching their first AL West crown since 2013. Both clubs have made the postseason over the last three years, Oakland being defeated in the Wild Card Game each of the last three years. The Astros have advanced in each of their last four postseason appearances and have done just that in five of the last six years. If the Astros are able to defeat Oakland in the division series, they will play in the American League Championship Series for the fourth straight year.
The Astros have gotten the best of Oakland during their run as the kings of the west, but this season the A's turned the tables on Houston, beating the Astros in seven of their ten games, eight of which came in Oakland's home ballpark, one of those games in Oakland being played with the Astros technically being the home team. It was the first time since 2014 that the Astros have lost a season series to Oakland. Since joining the American League in 2013, the Astros have gone 73-70 against Oakland in the regular season. This will mark the first time the two franchises have faced each other in the postseason and the first time Oakland has advanced to the ALDS since 2013.