The Astros are back in town, bringing up the emotions of a World Series loss

There is no getting around the fact that the Astros coming to town digs up those emotions from last year’s World Series. Emotions that kept me from watching the final out and the celebration that followed. If you’re wondering, I still haven’t seen the final out.

Ask my family and they’ll tell you I had a hard time moving past the defeat. At the time, it was my job to create content for SB Nation Facebook pages, especially so for the two teams in the fall classic. The exciting Game 5 was one of the most agonizing moments I’ve ever experienced in watching a baseball game. At the same time I was watching the team I’ve rooted for my whole life lose the wildest game I’ve ever seen, I was creating celebratory videos and other social media for Astros’ fans to enjoy.

By the time Game 7 came around, the little hope remaining all but disappeared in the rough first inning. I sat in a hotel room in Fresno, waiting for the final out so I could post the content for the Astros once again, before driving nearly five hours home in a silent car.

It was soul-crushing and I didn’t even play. It took weeks to come out of the fog of a rough patch in both baseball and personal life. But just like the 2018 version of the Dodgers, perseverance wins the day.

These Dodgers have been building towards October and are in the midst of a make-or-break test in the schedule. At this point, they’re looking to come out clean on the other side.

Thursday night was a display of how good their lineup can be, even before they tacked on a nine-spot in the seventh inning. The deep lineup takes their shot Friday against Justin Verlander.

The right-hander was 0-1 in two starts against the Dodgers in the World Series, giving up five runs in 12 innings. The two clubs split those games, both at Dodger Stadium.

Verlander had an unbelievable beginning to this season, going 9-2 with a 1.60 ERA in his first 16 starts. Since then, the 35-year-old has been a little more human, giving up 19 runs in his last 41 ²⁄₃ innings with a 1-4 record.

The Dodgers will send Alex Wood to the mound in search of his seventh win over the last 10 starts. The lefty is 6-0 with a 2.61 ERA since June 16 after starting his season 1-5.