TODD BALL: Houston Astros finding magic facing two out in MLB playoffs

October 21, 2021 c_admin Lacrosse Comments Off on TODD BALL: Houston Astros finding magic facing two out in MLB playoffs

Author of the article:

Todd Saelhof

Publishing date:

Oct 20, 2021  •  38 minutes ago  •  4 minute read  •  Join the conversation

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (left) and second baseman Jose Altuve high-five after defeating the Boston Red Sox. USA Today Sports

There’s never any panic in these Houston Astros.

In fact, when they’re at bat facing two outs, they seem to get charged up.

Case in point, they busted open a tight tilt by scoring five runs with two outs in the sixth inning for a 9-1 victory over the host Boston Red Sox in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.

It was a second-straight win with a game-changing inning comprised of a bunch of runs — all coming with two out — in the best-of-seven set to determine a World Series finalist against either the Atlanta Braves or the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Astros have now plated 41 runs with two outs in these playoffs.

Their seven runs in the top of the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s Game 4 cracked open a tie game and drew the Astros even with the Red Sox in the series.

Wednesday night’s two-out barrage then put them in command of the series — three games to two — heading back to Houston for Games 6 and — if necessary — 7 on Friday and Saturday.

It was Yordan Alvarez with a solo shot in the second inning to start things off.

But then the bats got quiet on both sides until the decisive sixth inning put up by the Astros. Alvarez doubled to plate Jose Altuve and Michael Brantley. Yuli Gurriel then doubled to bring home Alvarez. And Jose Siri singled to score Kyle Tucker and Gurriel.

The five runs came off celebrated Red Sox starter Chris Sale and reliever Ryan Brasier.

“(Sale) is a great pitcher, and basically, all I wanted to do was be real aggressive against him,” Alvarez, who went 3-for-3 on the day, told Fox Sports post-game. “It was lefty on lefty, and I thought they might leave him in to face me (in the sixth inning), and I was ready to be aggressive against him.”

Meanwhile, Astros starter Framber Valdez spun a gem, tossing eight innings of three hit ball to allow just one run.

The teams traded runs in the seventh inning — Brantley with a single to cash in Altuve for the Astros, and Rafael Devers homering to right field for the Red Sox.

Another two-out hit by Gurriel in the ninth brought home two more runs for the visitors.

AROUND THE BASES

Game 4 was not going to be the same as Game 3 for the Braves in L.A.

This time, the Braves made a 5-2 eighth-inning lead stick against the host Dodgers in the pivotal fourth game of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday night.

The 9-2 decision means a Braves’ 3-1 stranglehold on the best-of-seven.

They put behind that Tuesday-night loss — a four-run rally by the Dodgers in the eighth — by recording the first five runs of the night with two runs in each of the second and third innings and one in the fifth.

Three solo homers paved the scoring in the victory, with Freddie Freeman blasting the third one.

Last year’s NL MVP has come to life the last two games, which bodes well for the Bravos.

Then came an RBI-hit by former Dodgers guy Joc Pederson, who forced his way into lineup in the NL Division Series with big hits and has continued stringing money hits together throughout the Braves run to within one win of a World Series appearance.

Another clutch guy for the Braves on Wednesday was Adam Duvall, who knocked in two runs, including the fifth-inning score for the visitors.

But as the Dodgers do, they cut into the lead in the bottom of the fifth with a couple of runs courtesy of A.J. Pollock off reliever Chris Martin. The outfielder plated a pair with a single to score both Justin Turner and Game 4 hero Cody Bellinger.

Those runs belonged to Drew Smyly, the only Braves pitcher to get roughed up on the evening.

But A.J. Minter and Tyler Matzek came in to repress any such reprise of Game 4’s Dodgers comeback that saw a similar 5-2 Braves lead in the eighth inning disappear.

They kept it clean, and the Braves put up big insurance in the ninth. Freeman knocked in one with a single, and Eddie Rosario hit a three-run bomb. Will Smith came on to close it out and put the reigning World Series champions against the ropes.

It’s a hole from him which the Dodgers will be hard pressed to work their way out.

Wednesday’s Game 4 starter for the Braves was supposed to be Huascar Ynoa. But he was scratched after his shoulder grew sore playing catch earlier in the day. That brought on 38-year-old veteran Jesse Chavez to start a bullpen game for the Braves. For the Dodgers, it was 21-game-winner Jose Urias getting the call to arms, but Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario greeted him with back-to-back solo shots in the second inning … Then, Duvall did it in the field with a home-run robbery of Dodgers hitter Gavin Lux in second-inning left-centre field … The pitchers for Game 5 Thursday at Chavez Ravine (8:08 p.m. ET, Sportsnet) are likely to be Max Fried for the Braves and Max Scherzer for the Dodgers. Now that’s pitching to the Max! Fried, with a 1-0 record, a 1.50 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP in these playoffs, pitched six innings — scattering eight hits and surrendering two runs — in the Game 1 Braves walk-off win. Scherzer, who’s 0-1 with a 2.16 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP in the 2021 post-season, went just four innings in a four-hit, two-run outing in the Game 2 walk-off reprise by the Braves.