We got hoodwinked, Framboozled, led astray, run amok. Framber was bad. The Astros offense was...offensive, going 0x6 w/RISP. Houston goes to Six Flags down 2-0.
Since 2004, teams that went up 2-0 in the LCS are 18-2 in the series. The 2020 Dodgers came back from 0-2 down to win the NL Pennant over the Barves. Otherwise, in non-Mickey Mouse years, the 2004 Red Sox came back from 3-0 down against the Yankees, and I highly suggest that you watch the "Four Days in October" 30 For 30 before Game 3. Speaking of, here's Derek Jeter on the 2023 ALCS:
This team in Houston is great on the road. Just because they're down 2 games, it's not over. We've lost the series being up 3-0. I don't want to bring it back up...but my point is, everyone in this Texas Rangers clubhouse knows this series is not over.
FanGraphs: Houston 23.7 - 76.3 Six Flags
*Bregman:
We have an off day, and I think everyone's gonna regroup and focus on winning the next pitch. That's all you can do. You've got to take it pitch by pitch in the postseason when you're playing against a great team like them. Come in and compete and try to execute just a little bit better. I don't think we've played terrible; they've just played a little bit better than we have.
*The "Houston" "Astros" are 5-14 at Minute Maid Park since September 1. They're 11-3 on the road in the same time frame.
McTaggart: There's no place like the road.
*The Astros had the bases loaded with nobody out in the 5th. Yainer Diaz, finally pinch-hitting for Maldonado, struck out. Altuve struck out. Bregman grounded out weakly to end the inning with no runs scored. The Astros had runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs in the 8th with no runs scored. This feels impossible. But it's true.
*Altuve: 0x5, 2K. He has one hit in his last 18 PAs, and is 4x25 in the 2023 postseason. Since the beginning of the 2022 postseason, Altuve:
Altuve, postseason, 2015-2020: 63 games, 286 PAs, .306/.378/.565, 18HR/40RBI
Altuve, postseason, 2021-2023: 35 games, 165 PAs, .193/.261/.353, 6HR/10RBI
It's the 5th 0x5 in Altuve's 98 career postseason games.
*Framber Valdez had yet another terrible start: 2.2IP, 7H/5ER, 6K:1BB.
Framber, 2022 postseason: 25IP, 14H/4ER, 33K:8BB.
Framber, 2023 postseason: 7IP, 14H/9ER, 11K:4BB.
The Astros, as a franchise, have only had 16 postseason starts in which the starter did not record nine outs. Framber has four of them:
2021 ALCS Game 1: 2.2IP, 6H/2ER, 2K:3BB
2021 World Series Game 1: 2IP, 8H/5ER, 2K:1BB
2021 World Series Game 5: 2.2IP, 4H/5ER, 1K:2BB
2023 ALCS Game 2.
Should this series come back to Houston, I don't want to see Framber until 2024.
I thought the quality of my pitches was good. There were a couple balls that they didn't hit well that fell for base hits. It happened a couple times there.
The xBA on the Rangers' five singles that scored four runs: .470, .450, .950, .910, .320
*Yordan Alvarez hit his 11th and 12th career home runs in his 53rd career postseason game - his 2nd 2HR game of the postseason, and his career. It's the 11th 2HR postseason game in franchise history.
He also drew a walk and scored on Michael Brantley's double. It's his 35th, 36th, and 37th career postseason runs scored, tied with Carlos Correa for fourth in franchise history.
Dubon, on Alvarez:
I've seen him get frustrated. This is a guy that expects excellence from himself. But I never see him doubt.
*Alex Bregman passed Carlos Beltran with his 17th career postseason home run and into a tie for 7th-most all-time with David Ortiz and Jim Thome.
*Yainer Diaz is 0x10 with 5K in the 2023 postseason.
*Kyle Tucker was 0x4 with a strikeout. He's 2x22 with a double, 7K:3BB this postseason - an .091/.200/.136 line - just what you want in the middle of the order. Tucker, on his ABs:
They're terrible. I feel fine, just my swing is not there. I haven't done anything with any of the pitches. It's been tough.
Dusty:
It's frustrating when you're not getting hits. And I'm sure he's frustrated. We need Tuck. He's a big part of our team. Big part of our offense. I just know that Tucker will come across and come through with it in [Six Flags].
*Astros bullpen: 6.1IP, 1H/0ER, 6K:2BB. Just shameful to waste that.
*J.P. France: 2.1IP, 1H/0ER, 1K:1BB. Congratulations to J.P. France, who became the 95th pitcher in Astros history to make a postseason appearance.
It could be that everything finally is catching up to the Astros. All those years of playing so deep into the postseason, which perhaps contributed to injuries to Lance McCullers, Luis Garcia, and Jose Urquidy and the inconsistencies of Valdez and Cristian Javier. All those years of spending modestly in free agency while the Rangers invested $800 million on the open market the past two offseasons.
*Cristian Javier will start Game 3 against Max Scherzer.
What To Watch, October 17
Minnesota @ Montreal: 6pm Central
Diamondbacks @ Phillies: 7:07pm
Ghana @ United States: 7:37pm
*A Musical Selection: