So they went to Atlanta, and on a cold and rainy Friday night the Braves' pitchers absolutely dominated Houston. Going into the top of the 8th, the Braves' pitching staff was working on a no-hitter, and they only allowed two hits in a 2-0 victory. The Braves now lead two games to one, and so tonight's game will be very critical for both sides.
For me, September and October are the two most enjoyable months of the year for sports. You get the beginning of football season, you get the baseball playoffs, you get cooler weather -- it's fun. But as you get to the end of October, everything starts to get more serious. Some football teams start to realize that they've got problems. Losses become more painful. Basketball season looms on the horizon. And the World Series is coming to an end.
Here are the lineups for tonight:
Houston Astros:
Jose Altuve, 2B (.277, 31 HR's, 83 RBI's)
Michael Brantley, RF (.311, 8, 47)
Alex Bregman, 3B (.270, 12, 55)
Yordan Alvarez, LF (.277, 33, 104)
Carlos Correa, SS (.279, 26, 92)
Kyle Tucker, CF (.294, 30, 92)
Yuli Gurriel, 1B (.319, 15, 81)
Zach Greinke, P (11-6, 4.16 E.R.A.) (Yes, the pitcher is batting eighth)
Martin Maldonado, C (.172, 12 36)
Atlanta Braves:
Edwin Rosario, LF (.259, 14, 62)
Freddy Freeman, 1B (.300, 31, 83)
Ozzie Albies, 2B (.259, 30, 106)
Austin Riley, 3B (.303, 33, 107)
Joc Pederson, RF (.238, 18, 61)
Travis d'Arnaud, C (.220, 7, 26)
Adam Duvall, CF (.228, 38, 113)
Dansby Swanson, SS (.248, 27, 88)
Dylan Lee, P (0-0, 9.00 E.R.A.)
Dylan Lee only appeared in two games all year, and has never started a game in his career. Obviously Atlanta intends for this to be a "bullpen" game, in which all of its relief pitchers will get some action.
So the whole Dylan Lee experiment did not work at all. He gives up an infield single to Altuve, walks Brantley, strikes out Bregman, and walks Alvarez. The bases are loaded with one out in the first inning, and the Braves' "opener" is gone after one-third of an inning.
ReplyDeleteThe new Atlanta pitcher will be Kyle Wright, who only threw 6 1/3 innings in the regular season. He went 0-1 with a 9.95 E.R.A.
ReplyDeleteCorrea works a full count and hits a soft grounder to third. He's out, but the Astros get a run and lead 1-0.
ReplyDeleteWright strikes out Tucker to end the inning with no further damage. Great job by him to clean up what could have been an absolute disaster. Astros 1, Braves coming up to bat.
ReplyDeleteIf the Braves win this game, and the series, that will be seen as a major lost opportunity for Houston.
ReplyDeleteGrienke gives up a single, but nothing more. Astros lead 1-0 after 1.
ReplyDeleteI understand the basic idea behind using an "opener," but it seems to me that you have to remember that whoever pitches the first inning is going up against the strongest lineup the other side can send to the plate.
ReplyDeleteWith one out in the top of the 2d, Greinke (who has won silver slugger awards before) smacks a single up the middle. He is the first pitcher to get a hit in the World Series since 2016. He's over at first with the old-school jacket on.
ReplyDeleteAnd now Maldonado, who batted .172 in the regular season, floats a single into right and the Astros have runners on first and second with one out.
ReplyDeleteAltuve rips a line drive to third, but Riley makes a great diving catch. Two outs.
ReplyDeleteBrantley grounds out to second, and the top of the Astros order cannot do anything after the bottom guys had reached base. Houston 1-0 after 1 1/2.
ReplyDeleteGreinke allows a single but nothing else in the second. Astros lead 1-0 after 2.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Auburn leads Ole Miss 28-17 at halftime. This is a good test for Ole Miss -- the Rebels are good, but are they good enough to beat Auburn at Auburn?
ReplyDeleteWith two out and the bases loaded in the top of the third, Greinke comes up to hit. He makes a good swing, but grounds out to second. Houston has stranded 7 runners so far.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 3d, Eddie Rosario gets a one-out single, but Freeman grounds into a double play to end the inning. Astros lead 1-0 after 3. Astros now with a 62 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteIn the top of the 4th, Altuve doesn't bother with the risk of being left on base -- he crushes a 434-home run to dead center field, and the Astros lead 2-0.
ReplyDeleteAt the half, Ohio State leads Penn State 17-10. With 6:31 left in the 3d quarter, Auburn leads Ole Miss 28-20.
ReplyDeleteGreinke, a right-hander, is so tough on left-handers that Ozzie Albies -- a switch-hitter -- has decided to bat right-handed against him. The folks on ESPN Radio are very interested in Albies's strategy, and they didn't think it would work. So far it has not worked, as Albies is 0-2.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 4th, Riley hits a two-out single, but Pederson hits into a double play. Greinke and the Astros lead 2-0 after four. Houston now has a 75 percent chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteAuburn makes a huge 4th down stand deep in its own territory, and the Tigers lead Ole Miss 28-20 after three quarters.
ReplyDeleteWith two outs and a runner on third, the Astros walk Gurriel to get to Greinke. The Astros respond by sending up Marwin Gonzalez to pinch hit.
ReplyDeleteGonzalez flies out and the inning is over. Astros have left nine men on base so far. But they lead 2-0 after 4 1/2.
ReplyDeleteAuburn is in the victory formation, and the Tigers are going to beat Ole Miss 31-20. Great job by the Auburn defense.
ReplyDeleteOhio State leads Penn State 27-24 with 13 minutes left in the game.
ReplyDeleteWith runners on first and second in the bottom of the 6th, Austin Riley laces a two-out single to left. The left-fielder throws home, which allowed the runners to advance to second and third. Astros lead 2-1 with two out in the 6th.
ReplyDeleteBoth Ole Miss and UK come back down to earth tonight, as the Wildcats lose 31-17 at Mississippi State. For schools like Ole Miss and UK, winning on the road in the SEC is brutally difficult.
ReplyDeleteThe Astros walk Joc Pederson to load the bases with two outs for Travis d'Arnaud.
ReplyDeletePhil Maton is pitching for Houston. Maton v. d'Arnaud:
ReplyDeletePitch 1: Ball outside (1-0)
Pitch 2: Swinging strike (1-1)
Pitch 3: Swinging strike (1-2)
Pitch 4: Foul (1-2)
Pitch 5: Called strike (3 outs).
Braves leave the bases loaded. Astros lead 2-1 after 6.
Down 27-24 with 11 minutes left in the game, Penn State's quarterback gets in trouble and hurls a desperate pass downfield off of his back foot. It's easily intercepted by OSU, and the Bucks are headed for yet another Big 10 Championship.
ReplyDeleteThis will be OSU's fifth consecutive Big 10 championship.
ReplyDeleteThis will be the 11th year that they've played a Big 10 title game. Michigan has never played in that game. Penn State's been there once. Michigan State has been there twice. OSU will be making its seventh appearance.
ReplyDeleteAstros have a 69 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteWith 6:05 left, and trailing 30-24, Penn State throws a long touchdown pass -- but it doesn't count because the receiver went out of bounds before coming back to catch the ball.
ReplyDeleteJust imagine a 12-team college football playoff with three Big 10 teams.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, in the bottom of the 7th, Dansby Swanson -- formerly of Vanderbilt University -- whacks a home run over the right field fence and the game is tied at 2!
ReplyDeleteAnd now Jorge Soler comes up to pinch hit, and he lines a 2-1 slider JUST OVER THE LEFT FIELD FENCE PAST THE OUTSTRETCHED GLOVE OF ALVAREZ! The Braves lead 3 to 2!
ReplyDeleteBack-to-back home runs by the Braves off of Cristian Javier, and the Astros are now in big trouble.
ReplyDeleteA really great left fielder could have caught Soler's home run, but Alvarez just missed it.
ReplyDeleteNow the Braves have a 76 percent chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteESPN Radio reports that the Braves' home runs in the 7th represent the first time in World Series history that the 8th and 9th batters have homered back-to-back.
ReplyDeleteThe Braves send out Luke Jackson to pitch the 8th. In the regular season, Jackson went 2-2 with an ERA of 1.98 in 71 appearances.
DeleteWith two outs in the top of the 8th, Altuve (2-4 on the night with a home run) comes to the plate. On ESPN Radio, they were expecting him to attack the first pitch. He does, and he whacks a long drive to left. It's not hit hard enough for a home run, but it looks like a potential double, until Eddie Rosario makes a great running catch to end the inning. The Astros go down 1-2-3, and Atlanta still leads 3-2.
ReplyDeleteOn ESPN Radio, Dan Shulman tells us that Altuve's blow would have been a home run in 26 of 30 MLB ballparks -- but not in Atlanta's Truist Park.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 8th, the Braves get a walk and a hit batsman, but they can't do anything with them. Atlanta leads 3-2 after 8. Braves have an 83.1 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteThe Braves give the ball to Will Smith. In the regular season, he went 3-7 with a 3.44 E.R.A. and 37 saves.
ReplyDeleteExactly two years ago right now, the Washington Nationals won the 2019 World Series.
ReplyDeleteSmith mows down the Astros' 2-3-4 hitters in order. The Braves' bullpen retired six Astros in a row after the Braves took the lead. Atlanta pulled its "opener" after only one-third of an inning and still holds Houston to only two runs. And now Atlanta leads the Series three games to one.
ReplyDelete