Despite a .500 record, the Houston Astros won the AL West, earning not only a postseason berth but also the No. 3 seed and home-field advantage in the AL Wild Card Series against the No.
6-seeded Chicago White Sox. With dueling bullpen games going in Game 1, the Astros had a golden opportunity to gain a huge advantage in the best-of-three series.
Instead, they lost 6-3, fell behind, and never tied the game again, let alone took the lead. There’re tons of Astros to blame for putting Houston in a major hole, and it all starts with the AL MVP favorite, Yordan Alvarez.
DH Yordan Alvarez Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With an MVP label comes MVP-level responsibility. Alvarez had a season for the ages, competing for a Triple Crown nearly the entire way, and almost single-handedly willing Houston this far. With that being said, the Astros need Alvarez to be his MVP-self to have a shot in these playoffs, and he was not that kind of player on Tuesday.
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Alvarez did hit what looked like a key single in the bottom of the eighth inning to send the tying run up to the plate for Houston, but he went 0-for-3 before that, including a groundout with a runner at third base in the third inning and another groundout leading off what could’ve been a rally-starting sixth inning. A pedestrian 1-for-4 wouldn’t get many players on this list, but Alvarez’s importance to this team gets him a spot on this list in a game in which the Astros scored only three runs. Manager Joe Espada Houston Astros manager Joe Espada | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Admittedly, Joe Espada’s job in this game was tough, as the Astros were limited in terms of quality pitching options, and their opener, AJ Blubaugh, did not have his best command, but he still did not push the right buttons. The most notable of these options was inserting Bryan King, a reliever who was optioned to the minors more than once, into the game in the first inning.
The Astros were already trailing 1-0, and while King kept it at 1-0 in the first, he allowed five straight baserunners, two of which would score, in the second. If it weren’t for Miguel Ullola’s heroics, there’s a good chance all five of them would’ve scored.
Why did Espada leave him, of all relievers, out for so long when he clearly didn’t have it? This ensured the Astros would play from behind the eight ball all day, and they never recovered. Even beyond that, the decision to have Taylor Trammell drop a sacrifice bunt, down 3-0 in the third inning (if it was, indeed, Espada’s call), made absolutely zero sense. The last thing a team should do when down multiple runs in the early innings is sacrifice an out.
Using their two best relievers, Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader, down by three runs with games on Wednesday and Thursday, was just the icing on the cake. Espada has been on the hot seat all year, and this game showed why. LHP Bryan King Houston Astros pitcher Bryan King | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Speaking of King, no, he shouldn’t have been out there for as long as he was, but he also should’ve simply pitched better.
I mean allowing five straight baserunners is flat-out unacceptable, especially when one of those batters, Colson Montgomery, reached base on a hit-by-pitch in a two-strike count. It was 1-0 when King entered the game, and again, if it weren’t for his teammate, the game would’ve quickly gone out of reach because of King’s struggles. King was a key member of the Astros’ bullpen early in the year, but his 11.32 ERA in his final 22 regular-season appearances shows just how badly he’s performed for a prolonged stretch.
This appearance only added to those struggles. 1B Christian Walker Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Christian Walker’s bat can run hot and cold, as Astros fans know all too well, but his glove has been one of the best at his position for quite some time.
He won three straight Gold Glove awards to end his stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and while he hasn’t won one with the Astros, he remains a good defender. That’s why his error in the first inning of this game was so shocking to witness. For reference, Walker committed just three errors all regular season. His throwing error not only gave Munetaka Murakami a chance to hit a sacrifice fly, getting Chicago on the board in the first inning, but it also prolonged the inning.
This forced Blubaugh to throw many more pitches in that inning and eventually, resulted in Bryan King making an important appearance. We know how that one ended. C Yainer Diaz Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Yainer Diaz was quietly one of the Astros’ most productive players down the stretch, slashing .357/.379/.583 with four home runs, five doubles and a triple in the month of September. He’d played his way into being a key contributor in this Astros’ lineup, only for him to go 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts on Tuesday’s game.
Not only did he go hitless in four at-bats, but Diaz also struck out looking in the biggest at-bat of the night. He was the tying run at the plate in the eighth inning against Grant Taylor, Chicago’s best reliever, and stared at a curveball on the outside corner. Now, it was a good pitch by a really good reliever, but Diaz is a crucial player for the Astros. It’ll be hard for them to win if he’s unable to contribute, especially in big moments. Add us as a preferred source on Google
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