There was a flicker of life in the third when it seemed a possibility. There was one brief stint in the second when it looked as if it may. While it was more or less a foregone conclusion that the Astros would score on that Texas bullpen, if the Ranger bats would light up, then they could outscore anybody in baseball. The other side of the equation was the Rangers bats. The Astros chipped away, grinding down opposition and posting ten runs on a Ranger bullpen that simply could not keep up with them. José Abreu and Chas McCormick hit home runs while José Altuve came within inches of one. Time and again, the Astros made them pay for that. Time and time again, they would be one strike away from ending things when they would get sloppy, throw three balls, and then be forced to offer something over the plate. Losing batters after getting ahead 0-2, hit by pitches, and generally painting themselves into a corner was the order of the day for Rangers pitching. The Rangers drew level before the Astros repeated the performance. A walk to Chas McCormick saw the Rangers have to dip into their bullpen after just 2/3 of an inning. The opening salvo was fired in the first inning when once again, the Astros capitalized on Ranger mistakes, as Andrew Heaney gave up a double, a single, and a triple in the first three batters. The first one happened and the second one did not. Astros take both games in Arlington to even the ALCS at 2Ĭoming in to Game 4, the keys to the game were Houston taking advantage of the Rangers' lack of bullpen depth and the Rangers letting rip with their bats.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |