Sports

Depth on display as Astros muscle to ALCS-opening win

Written by ABC AUDIO on October 20, 2022

The full extent of the Astros’ terrific pitching depth has been on display throughout the postseason, showcasing their biggest strength from the regular season. The Astros posted the American League’s best ERA and had the best bullpen in the Major Leagues, which helped carry them to the top seed in the AL and lofty October expectations.

Entering the postseason, there were still questions about the Astros’ lineup depth beyond star players Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman. Was the Astros’ lineup long enough for the playoff grind? Could opposing pitching staffs work around the sluggers and exploit some matchups in the bottom of the lineup?

Despite Altuve starting the 2022 playoffs in an 0-for-19 funk and pitchers growing more careful with how they pitch Alvarez after he hit game-changing homers in the first two games of the AL Division Series, the Astros continue to find heroes. Yuli Gurriel, Chas McCormick and Jeremy Peña cranked solo homers to send the Astros to a 4-2 win over the Yankees in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park.

“I’m just glad that we have the depth in our lineup that we do have guys that say, ‘Hey, man, you picked us up for so long, we’ll pick you up until you get yourself together,’” Astros manager Dusty Baker said.

The Astros, who remained unbeaten in the postseason (4-0), will give the ball to All-Star lefty Framber Valdez in Game 2 on Thursday with a chance to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series heading to New York this weekend.

In the history of best-of-seven postseason series, teams that have taken a 1-0 lead have gone on to win 119 of 185 times (64%). In all series with the current 2-3-2 format, teams that have taken Game 1 at home have gone on to win 64 of 96 times (67%).

McCormick, who’s battled for playing time in center field since the Astros let George Springer walk in free agency after the 2020 season, went 2-for-3 with a double and his first career postseason homer.

“We have a really good lineup and it seems like if the big guys aren’t going, then the bottom of the lineup can get going,” he said. “If the bottom of the lineup isn’t going, the big guys can get going. It just kind of talks about how complete this team is.”

Gurriel, an Astros postseason hero of years past who had a subpar regular season at age 38, has come on in October and is 7-for-19 with a pair of homers in four postseason games. And Peña, the hotshot rookie taking over from franchise icon Carlos Correa at shortstop, continued his coming-out party with three more extra-base hits in Game 1.

“I would say that’s what makes us so good,” Peña said. “We pick each other up on any given night. Sometimes when we don’t put together quality at-bats our pitchers carry us. And when they don’t have their day on the mound we carry them with the lineup. As I said, that’s what makes us a great team.”

While the offense got contributions outside the big bats, it was reliable ace Justin Verlander who did the heavy lifting on the mound. Verlander struck out 11 batters and held the Yankees to one run in six innings to earn his first playoff victory since Game 1 of the 2019 AL Division Series. He became the second-oldest pitcher in postseason history with a double-digit strikeout game, behind Nolan Ryan. Verlander’s eight career double-digit-K postseason games are two more than any pitcher in playoff history.

“Just because we won Game 1, we understand that there’s a hard road ahead of us still,” Verlander said. “We expect everybody to come out [Thursday] just like we lost this game. That’s the sense of urgency that we always have, particularly in the playoffs, but that’s why I think these guys are so special because we do that in the regular season as well, but in the playoffs it’s taking it to another level.”

The game was tied in the sixth inning when Gurriel and McCormick homered off reliever Clarke Schmidt. Peña, whose 18th-inning homer in Game 3 of the ALDS on Saturday delivered a 1-0 win in Seattle, led off the seventh with a homer off Lou Trivino for a 4-1 lead. Ryan Pressly recorded the final four outs, stranding a pair of runners in the eighth.

“Obviously, this is a team and we’re all here and trying to protect and cover all our other players, and I think that’s why we’ve had so much success over the last couple of years,” Gurriel said.

The Yankees Have No Answer for an Ageless Astros Ace

Justin Verlander struck out 11 batters and Houston beat up on the Yankees’ bullpen in a convincing Game 1 victory.

HOUSTON — The path to the World Series for the Yankees goes not only through the Houston Astros but specifically their ace, Justin Verlander. If the Yankees want to win their first American League pennant since 2009, they may need to find a way to beat Verlander — this year’s presumptive A.L. Cy Young Award winner — at least once this October.

Verlander, 39, may go down as one of the best starting pitchers ever. After returning from Tommy John surgery that cost him nearly two entire seasons, he went 18-4 with a 1.75 E.R.A. over 175 innings during the regular season. He has 244 career wins, 3,198 strikeouts, a Rookie of the Year Award, a Most Valuable Player Award, two Cy Young Awards and a World Series ring.

Sweeping the Seattle Mariners in the previous round allowed the Astros the luxury of lining up their pitching staff strategically to face the Yankees. By tabbing the right-hander Verlander for Game 1 of the best-of-seven A.L. Championship Series that began on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park, the Astros could turn to him again on regular rest for a potential Game 5.

Sure, the Yankees could lose both games started by Verlander and still win the series, but that significantly narrows their margin for error in this showdown between the A.L.’s top two seeds. In their first crack at Verlander, the Yankees held their own but couldn’t quite topple him. He allowed one run and struck out 11 over six innings, paving the way for the Astros’ bats to explode in a 4-2 win.

“He’s not only physically strong, which you can see, but he’s mentally strong,” said Astros Manager Dusty Baker, who added that Verlander was better from pitches No. 80 through 103 than earlier in the game. “This guy, he has mental toughness. When he’s down and out and it looks like you got him in trouble, this guy, he can dial it up.”

Verlander started off slowly, but when he departed the game, the score was tied, 1-1. In the bottom half of the sixth inning, though, Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel and center fielder Chas McCormick each slammed solo home runs off the Yankees right-handed reliever Clarke Schmidt. An inning later, the Astros rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña cracked a solo shot off the right-hander Frankie Montas, who was making his first appearance after returning from a shoulder injury that popped up last month.

“I felt like they had the momentum early as an offense against me, but I felt like I was able to kind of bring it back on my side and just kind of keep the pressure on them once that happened,” Verlander said. “And thankfully our boys came through with some big hits and the bullpen did their job like they usually do. That’s how we win a lot of ball games.”

While Verlander is sensational, it’s not like the Astros, who are making their sixth straight A.L.C.S. appearance, have a top-heavy rotation. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation had a better E.R.A. (2.75) than the Astros’ (2.95). At least one advanced metric (wins above replacement) rated the Astros’ group better than everyone else’s. Framber Valdez, José Urquidy, Luis García, Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr. each posted an E.R.A. under 3.95 this season.

So after the challenge of Verlander in Game 1, the Yankees get the left-handed Valdez, who went 17-6 with a 2.82 E.R.A. over 201 ⅓ innings in the regular season, in Game 2 on Thursday. The Yankees will counter with the right-hander Luis Severino, who allowed three runs over five and two-thirds innings in his lone start of the previous playoff round against the Cleveland Guardians.

On Wednesday, Yankees starting pitcher Jameson Taillon did his best to neutralize the Astros. His only appearance in the previous round — his first ever postseason outing and also his first career relief appearance — was disastrous. In the Yankees’ 4-2 loss in extra innings in Game 2 against Cleveland, he pitched the 10th inning in relief and coughed up two runs on three hits. Wednesday was his first start since Oct. 4, and he allowed just one run over four and one-third innings.

But Taillon and the Yankees couldn’t outlast Verlander and the Astros. To start, Verlander combated some wayward command and tough plate appearances. He needed 55 pitches to complete the first two innings. A surging Yankees hero, center fielder Harrison Bader, gave his team an early lead against Verlander.

Acquired just before the Aug. 2 trading deadline in a surprise swap with the St. Louis Cardinals, Bader didn’t made his Yankees debut until late September because of a foot injury. But in six games in pinstripes this postseason, Bader has mashed four home runs, his latest coming off Verlander in the second inning.

That was all the Yankees could muster off Verlander, whose command improved to the point that he was hitting the edges of the strike zone with ease in the later innings. They also failed to capitalize when they had him cornered. After first baseman Anthony Rizzo walked and left fielder Giancarlo Stanton doubled in the third inning, the Yankees had a fruitful chance with one out. But third baseman Josh Donaldson and designated hitter Matt Carpenter each struck out — Carpenter looking at a called strike he disagreed with — to end the threat.

That was the beginning of a stretch in which Verlander struck out six straight Yankees. When he struck out Carpenter again, swinging this time, to complete six innings, Verlander bounced off the mound and pumped his right fist.

It was his eighth career postseason start with 10 or more strikeouts, extending his major league record. With his sixth strikeout of the night, he passed Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers (213) for the most career strikeouts in postseason history.

“He’s very important for us,” Gurriel said of Verlander. “Everyone knows he’s our principal pitcher and for him to come out that way gives us a lot of confidence.” He added later, “He’s an incredible pitcher, at that age and the way he’s doing it, it’s so impressive.”

The strikeouts continued even after Verlander exited. Overall, Yankees batters struck out 17 times to the Astros’ two.

The Yankees did manage to inject some drama in the eighth inning when Rizzo homered off the right-handed reliever Rafael Montero. But with two runners on and two outs, Astros closer Ryan Pressly came on, struck out Carpenter and then was back out secure the win in the ninth. Not typically asked to work for more than an inning, Pressly was perfect, retiring all four batters he faced.

Verlander Ks 11 to lead Astros over Yankees 4-2 in ALCS

HOUSTON — — When Justin Verlander was laboring and needed 45 pitches to get through two innings, Astros manager Dusty Baker was worried he’d have to go to his bullpen early.

Instead, the veteran ace buckled down and found a groove, striking out 11 in six strong innings to lead Houston over the New York Yankees 4-2 in their AL Championship Series opener Wednesday night.

“This guy, he has mental toughness,” Baker said. “When he’s down and out and it looks like you got him in trouble, this guy, he can dial it up.”

Yuli Gurriel launched a tiebreaking homer for Houston in the sixth. Chas McCormick and Jeremy Peña also went deep as the AL West champions improved to 4-0 in the playoffs after going 106-56 during the regular season.

The Astros are in their sixth consecutive ALCS, looking to reach the World Series for the fourth time in that span, against a New York team in the LCS for the first time since being eliminated by Houston in 2019.

The game was tied 1-all when Gurriel connected off reliever Clarke Schmidt for a solo shot into the left-field seats to put Houston on top. Two batters later, McCormick sent a sinker from Schmidt into right field to make it 3-1.

“I didn’t do my job today,” Schmidt said.

Verlander set a major league record with his eighth double-digit strikeout game in the postseason. He passed Clayton Kershaw (213) to become the career leader in postseason strikeouts with 219.

“As the game’s going along, you just gain more confidence as you start making better pitches,” Verlander said. “Once I started being able to execute my pitches the way I wanted, I feel like my confidence just kind of built upon that.”

New York whiffed 17 times in all to only two for the Astros — the largest difference ever in a postseason game.

“They’re obviously really dynamic,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Outstanding starting pitching, but can shorten the game with the best of ’em. So we’ve got to find a way to break through against them.”

Peña, whose 18th-inning home run completed a sweep of the Mariners in the ALDS, belted a homer off Frankie Montas to start the seventh and extend the lead to 4-1. Montas was pitching for the first time since Sept. 16 because of a shoulder injury that kept him off the Division Series roster.

Anthony Rizzo homered off Rafael Montero with two outs in the eighth to get the Yankees within two. Giancarlo Stanton singled before Josh Donaldson walked, spurring Baker to bring in closer Ryan Pressly.

He struck out Matt Carpenter to end the inning and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to get the four-out save.

Carpenter, back recently from a broken foot, fanned all four times up.

“The way (Verlander) threw the ball tonight, I could have played for the last two months and it would have been a tough day,” he said.

After struggling in Game 1 of the ALDS against Seattle, Verlander looked shaky early in this one, giving up a second-inning homer to Harrison Bader that put the Yankees up 1-0. It was Bader’s fourth home run in six playoff games — his first four long balls with New York.

But the Astros tied it in the bottom half on an RBI double by Martín Maldonado.

The Astros had a few days off after eliminating Seattle on Saturday. The Yankees dealt with a quick turnaround after winning a rain-postponed Game 5 over the Guardians at home Tuesday before heading to Houston.

They had runners at second and third with one out in the third after a double by Stanton, but Verlander struck out Donaldson and Carpenter to escape the jam.

“I gave it everything I had to try to get a couple strikeouts and was able to do that,” Verlander said. “Then from there, that kind of mentality, just keep making your pitches and a couple adjustments that I was able to make fairly quickly on the off-speed stuff really paid off.”

Those were the first of six consecutive strikeouts for Verlander, which matched a postseason record. It’s the second time he’s tied the mark after also fanning six in a row in Game 3 of the 2013 ALCS for Detroit.

“I thought early we had our chances. I don’t think he was real sharp early, but then he kind of dialed it in,” Boone said. “He started really executing, staying away from trouble. I thought he spun the ball really well.”

Verlander didn’t allow a baserunner after the third inning, retiring his last 11 batters with nine strikeouts. When he fanned Carpenter to end the sixth, he pumped his fist and yelled before trotting off the field to a huge ovation from the mostly orange-clad home crowd.

http://ben-kiki.org/ypaste/data/59347/index.html
http://paste.jp/31916f2a/
https://apaste.info/lEiS
https://p.teknik.io/1PRd4
https://paste.cutelyst.org/U_gudpsUR
https://notepad.ltd/gykfcbvj
https://0paste.com/401006
https://www.pastery.net/cbmwrt/
https://yamcode.com/pzjukcztkm
https://backlinktool.io/p/kDuQTKyTo94hx6U6Pwz3.html
https://paste.toolforge.org/view/612ee0aa#5y4USILrkaCYnlfxOGKbhE4GCWXD0Lxx
https://pasteio.com/xMue9PRWHJ5N
https://mymediads.com/articles/160498?new_advert=true
https://ctxt.io/2/AAAQ2oQsEw
https://jsitor.com/m-3GP_VZq
http://pastebin.falz.net/2438087
https://paiza.io/projects/8RdE5LtYtATtRlroMS-1sg
https://paste.artemix.org/-/tf_-hR
https://tech.io/snippet/wjDWcmm
https://geany.org/p/gSyjO/
https://dev.bukkit.org/paste/38a2147d

“We couldn’t really get anything going against him,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who was 0 for 4. “We couldn’t really come up with that timely hit early on to keep him on his toes.”

The two-time Cy Young Award winner and nine-time All-Star permitted three hits and one run in his 32nd postseason start, 11th in a series opener. It was his first playoff win since 2019.

Peña doubled twice before his homer to give him seven hits this postseason. His three extra-base hits equaled a rookie record for a postseason game.

The clutch performances by Peña, who took over for Carlos Correa at shortstop this season, have helped the Astros this October as superstar Jose Altuve has struggled.

“It’s everything I’ve dreamed of,” Peña said about his first postseason. “The environment, the fans, the crowd, the preparation that goes into every game. It’s fun.”

Altuve, a three-time batting champion, went 0 for 3 with a walk and is 0 for 19 this postseason.

Stanton played left field with Aaron Hicks sidelined for the rest of the postseason with a sprained knee he sustained in an outfield collision Tuesday. It was Stanton’s first appearance in the field since July 21 and his rust showed early when he couldn’t grab a fly ball that Peña hit for a double in the first.

New York starter Jameson Taillon walked Yordan Alvarez after that, but Judge robbed Alex Bregman of a hit and saved at least one run and maybe more when he made a diving catch in right field for the second out of the inning.

Taillon yielded four hits and a run in 4 1/3 innings.

PETTIS OUT

Astros third base coach Gary Pettis was out because of an illness. First base coach Omar Lopez filled in for Pettis, and quality control coach Dan Firova coached first.

CLEMENS RETURNS

Roger Clemens, who pitched for both the Yankees and Astros in a 24-year career that included a record seven Cy Young Awards, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

He stepped a couple of feet in front of the rubber before throwing a perfect strike to Houston starter Lance McCullers.

“Every time I get out there, he looks further and further (away),” the 60-year-old Clemens said. “So, I’m just glad it made it there.”

Asked for a prediction on the series, Clemens didn’t give any insight into which team he’s pulling for this week.

“I think it’s going to go to seven games,” he said. “And that’s it.”

Author

ABC AUDIO

Author's archive

Depth on display as Astros muscle to ALCS-opening win

Written by ABC AUDIO on October 20, 2022

Author

ABC AUDIO

Continue reading

Next post

Incontri eccitante online a equo di amicizia veicolo funzionano i siti web

Previous post

Una delle app di incontri abbastanza famosa ancora Tinder, al modello da variare indivis vero

Current track

Title

Artist

Depth on display as Astros muscle to ALCS-opening win

Written by ABC AUDIO on October 20, 2022

Author

You may also like

Continue reading

Next post

Previous post

Current track

Title

Artist