Blast Off and Away the ALCS Goes Back to Houston for Game 6

Prior to Game Five of theAmerican League Championship Series tonight between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, many people expected the series to conclude, but thanks to some hard fought effort by the Yankees and some tough luck for the Astros, the series is now headed back to Houston for Game Six and a potential Game Seven.

From tonight's game, there are a lot of different takeaways about what happened, who performed at their peak level, and who might have not impressed or hasn't necessarily been of the greatest value during this entire series. When you combine all of that together, there are plenty of questions about how the remainder of the series go and some important decisions that need to be made by Houston Astros skipper, AJ Hinch, and New York Yankees skipper, Aaron Boone.

Regardless, as the postseason has shown us so far, expect the unexpected and just because a team appears to be out of the derby or nearing the end of their postseason life cycle, anything can happen and make a series like this one fascinating in an instant. So, before we look ahead to Game Six of the American League Championship Series, let's recap some of the biggest takeaways from tonights game for both the Houston Astros and New York Yankees.

Houston Astros: 

. J-V Magic: Besides giving up the three-run home run to New York Yankees outfielder, Aaron Hicks, during the first inning of tonight's game, Justin Verlander was near brilliant. Verlander continues to have a terrific track record of success during the regular season as well as during the postseason and finished tonight's game with (9) strikeouts total. That brought his total amount of strikeouts this postseason to (29) with a 3.70 ERA over 24.1 innings of work and an Opponent Batting Average Against of (.205). Heading into the postseason, everyone expected Justin Verlander to perform at this level and he is doing just that.

. Yordan K-Varez: Things have not gone so rosy for Houston Astros designated hitter, Yordan Alvarez, during this series so far and tonight was no different. At the conclusion of play tonight, Alvarez is 1-for-19 in the ALCS with nine strikeouts - three of those came during tonight's matchup alone. After tonight's performance, it's fair to say that Alvarez might need to have a breather during tomorrow's game, but it appears as though Houston Astros skipper, AJ Hinch, is going to stick with him after all. According to Jake Kaplan of The Athletic on Twitter, Alvarez will bat seventh in tomorrow's game and occupy the designated hitter position. It's definitely a gamble, but as we saw two years ago with George Springer, AJ Hinch stayed with him and it ended up paying off huge dividends.

. Bullpen Genesis: Heading into this series, the New York Yankees appeared to have the upper hand when it came to the bullpen, but the Houston Astros bullpen has been very valuable for AJ Hinch and Company thus far. Following tonight's stellar performance by Justin Verlander, Brad Peacock was given the ball and pitched a clean bottom of the eighth. So far this postseason, Peacock has only pitched an inning in relief, but he could be very valuable come tomorrow. More on that later.

New York Yankees: 

. The Big Maple Shines Bright: While Justin Verlander was brilliant, New York Yankees starting pitcher, James Paxton, was just a brilliant over on the other side of the field. Paxton finished the night with (9) strikeouts as well and continued to prove that he can handle the big stage of postseason baseball. So far this postseason, over three games, Paxton has a 3.46 ERA with (20) strikeouts and an Opponent Batting Average Against of (.255). Granted, the start came at home which likely contributed to Paxton's success, but it was a start that the New York Yankees needed to savor their bullpen for the remainder of the series.

. Stanton Struggles: New York Yankees designated hitter, Giancarlo Stanton, returned to the lineup for tonight's contest and did absolutely nothing. Of course, it's to be expected because baseball players are creatures of habit and require a couple of games to get into the rhythm of things, but Stanton ended the night at the plate 0-for-3 with (2) strikeouts. When the Yankees offense is at it's best, Stanton is included in the lineup and is hitting like he is capable of. However, given the pain that Stanton was experiencing in his quad, the Yankees haven't had him fully healthy the entire month. In total, Stanton has recorded thirteen at bats so far this month and has a (.231) batting average and a (.850) OPS over that span.

. Lockdown Gate at the Back End: If you picture a gate that comes down and blocks off people from accessing a particular area, that's how the New York Yankees back end of the bullpen has performed so far this series. Once again during tonight's game, both Zach Britton and Aroldis Chapman proved that they are capable of forming a powerful 1-2 tandem at the back end and closing out the game when it matters the most. Britton, who was credited with the hold tonight, now has a (0.71) WHIP and (6) strikeouts over seven innings of work this postseason, while Chapman has recorded (8) strikeouts over four relief appearances. For the Yankees to salvage this series, they are going to need both Zach Britton and Aroldis Chapman to continue pitching like they did tonight.

Now that we have recapped three key takeaways for both the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, let's look ahead to tomorrows Game Six and three key questions for both teams.

Houston Astros: 

. Who Will End Up Starting the Game? - During tonight's postgame press conference, Houston Astros skipper, AJ Hinch, indicated that tomorrow will indeed be a bullpen game, but that "The Opener" has not been decided upon. The team's coaching staff and front office members will discuss who is going to start the game during tonight's return flight to Houston. If you are placing a bet, look for right-hander, Jose Urquidy, to get the start followed up by some combination of Brad Peacock and Wade Miley. All three relievers could throw two or three innings a piece before turning things over to the likes of Joe Smith, Ryan Pressly, Will Harris, and Roberto Osuna.

. Will AJ Hinch Change His Mind Regarding Yordan Alvarez? - As mentioned previously, Houston Astros skipper, AJ Hinch, is currently planning on batting Yordan Alvarez during tomorrow's matchup in the designated hitter position. While that might seem like a good thing to do, this is a critical game for the Astros because they are back at home in front of their home crowd and it's a must-win situation for the entire team. The last thing the Astros want to do is have Alvarez continue performing the way he has this entire series and lose out on the potential offense that outfielder, Kyle Tucker, could bring to that spot in the lineup.

. How will the home field advantage play into the Astros favor? - Every year when the postseason rolls around, everyone constantly talks about how one team has an advantage over the other because of a concept known as "home field advantage." Well, the biggest question heading into tomorrows contest is going to be in regard to, if home field is going to give the Astros a leg up over the Yankees or not. Depending on if this series extends to a Game Seven, it might end up not having that big of an effect during tomorrow's game, but it's all going to depend on how loud things get inside of Minute Maid Park aka The Juice Box. If the series does go to a Game Seven, then home field advantage could be the deal breaker in the series.

New York Yankees: 

. Who Will End Up Starting the Game? - Like the Houston Astros, the New York Yankees don't have a set starting pitcher for tomorrow's game either and it's going to be fascinating to see how they end up deploying their pitching staff. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post on Twitter, the team plans on "just [figuring] it out", but you know that Aaron Boone and Company have a general plan of how they want to deploy their pitchers. If you're going to place a bet, don't be surprised if someone like left-hander, J.A. Happ, gets the start followed up by a combination of Chad Green, Tommy Kahnle, and Luis Cessa. Either way, whatever direction the Yankees decide to go in, it's going to be interesting because this is a must-win for the Yankees as well.

. Will Aaron Boone Stick with Gary Sanchez Behind the Plate? - All throughout this month, the question of whether Gary Sanchez should be the team's starting catcher or not has been in the spotlight. While there is always the danger of putting Sanchez behind the dish because of the amount of passed balls that he has accumulated over his postseason career during critical moments, he still is going to be a better option than the New York Yankees backup catcher, Austin Romine. While Romine might be a better option defensively, Gary Sanchez has the ability to change the score of the game with one swing of the bat and that's going to play a critical role in the final decision that the Yankees coaching staff and front office members make.

. Does Giancarlo Stanton Get the Start or Edwin Encarnacion? - As previously mentioned, tonight was not a good night at the plate for designated hitter, Giancarlo Stanton, and the New York Yankees are going to have a big decision to make prior to tomorrow's contest. The Yankees will likely end up going back to starting Edwin Encarnacion because the team is going to lean towards having a guaranteed amount of offense in that spot of their lineup, but Giancarlo Stanton might rally for his opportunity to get the start. Once again, this is another decision that is critical because it factors heavily into how many runs the Yankees end up scoring during tomorrows contest.