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Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Projected Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Masahiro Tanaka (13-12, 4.74 ERA) vs. Dallas Keuchel (14-5, 2.90 ERA)

Game 2: Luis Severino (14-6, 2.98 ERA) vs. Justin Verlander (15-8, 3.36 ERA)

Game 3: Brad Peacock (13-2, 3.00 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia (14-5, 3.69 ERA)

Game 4: Charlie Morton (14-7, 3.62 ERA) vs. Sonny Gray (10-12, 3.55 ERA)

Series Overview

The memory of the Astros eliminating the Yankees in the 2015 Wild Card Game is still fresh in the memories of both fanbases heading into this matchup.

The Astros took the season series 5-2 and they'll have Dallas Keuchel on the mound in Game 1.

Keuchel threw six scoreless innings in that 2015 play-in game to earn the victory and he boasts a 1.41 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in 44.2 career innings against the Yankees.

"There's an artistry to how Dallas pitches," manager A.J. Hinch told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. "There's a competitiveness between him and the hitter. Some people will call it a cat-and-mouse game. He's a tremendous competitor. He's very smart on the mound. He's very under control while intense. And with any game plan, he can adjust on the fly and continue to get outs."

Can he prove to be the Yankees' kryptonite once again?

On the other side, the Yankees made the somewhat surprising decision to push Sonny Gray to Game 4, meaning he'll go 11 days between starts.

With Masahiro Tanaka coming off a brilliant start in Game 3 of the ALDS and Luis Severino turning in a solid follow-up performance to his rough Wild Card Game outing, the Yankees look to have a strong one-two punch of their own to counter Keuchel and Justin Verlander.

Both of these teams can pile up runs. The Astros led the majors with 5.53 runs per game and the Yankees were not far behind in second at 5.30 per contest.

If it turns into a battle of the bullpens, the Yankees have an incredibly deep relief corps, but don't underestimate Chris Devenski and Joe Musgrove as multi-inning weapons for Houston.

Prediction

Astros in 6; Dallas Keuchel wins ALCS MVP