Veteran lefty Francisco Liriano might be the most important player on the Houston Astros’ World Series roster.
When the 2017 season began, pitcher Francisco Liriano probably didn’t think he’d be pitching in relief for the Houston Astros. Liriano pitched almost exclusively as a starter for the past several seasons. Luck brought him to a contender this summer when the Toronto Blue Jays saw an opportunity to move on from their struggling starter.
Liriano pitched horribly with the Blue Jays this season. In his 18 starts, the 12-year veteran delivered a 5.88 ERA. The Astros, who at the time were desperate for pitching assistance, took him on in what was a surprising move. He wasn’t great in Houston, posting a 4.40 ERA in his 20 appearances in relief. Manager A.J. Hinch stuck with him, and that’s a very good thing. Liriano may need to get big outs in the World Series.
You see, Liriano is the lone lefty in the Astros’ bullpen. Aside from starter Dallas Keuchel, Houston has no other left-handed options. Tony Sipp has only an outside chance at joining the Astros in Los Angeles to face the Dodgers. Since this is doubtful, those big matchups against the Dodgers’ left-handed hitters will become Liriano’s responsibility.
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During the regular season, left-handed hitters slashed .247/.300/.355 against Liriano over 100 plate appearances. He struck out those batters at a pretty good rate. These are still hardly numbers to make anyone fully confident in his ability to face Cody Bellinger with the bases juiced.
The Dodgers aren’t loaded with lefties, but they do have two Houston will need to worry about. Aside from Bellinger, there’s Corey Seager, whom many suspect will be available for the World Series. Hinch needs Liriano as an option to face these two. Other left-handed hitters on the bench like Curtis Granderson or Andre Ethier are far less effective if the Astros can play the percentages.
Hinch will need to use Liriano wisely because of the limited left-handed resources. Thus far this postseason, Liriano has only tossed 1.2 innings. The Boston Red Sox hit him pretty badly, but he held the New York Yankees scoreless for a frame.
Next: Astros advance to second ever World Series
Lefty versus lefty matchups don’t always work. They are still great to have available. Considering the bullpen woes the Astros have suffered this postseason with many of their typical relievers, any spot Liriano does pitch is huge.
Surely the Justin Verlander trade was the biggest for the Astros. In two weeks, the Liriano deal could seal the deal and earn an honorable runner-up victory.