You figure out who plays 1B in the 9th. You have Toro, Tucker, Stubbs…a pitcher can play there in an emergency. But you have to score runs in the 8th. You have to get something out of that situation. It’s do or die. Worry about the 9th when it comes.
Yuli had 2 hits yesterday.
He had a bloop over the first baseman and an infield single on a throw in the dirt that Choi didn’t pick. I guess it’s fair to say one reached the oufield…110 feet deep.
I love Yuli. But he’s not right. Letting him hit with the game on the line is just irresponsible, IMO.
Well played Sir.
This series pisses me off. The Rays are a very good team, and they very well might win the World Series, but two throwing errors on easy, routine plays by Jose Altuve (and one lazy effort at first base by Yuli Gurriel) have the Astros one game away from elimination. Not to mention, it feels like the Rays can do no wrong on defense, and when the Astros are hitting missiles, nearly all of them find the glove of a Rays’ fielder.
Kudos to them for not beating themselves and taking advantage of the Astros’ mistakes. But, it’s infuriating.
That’s how you win playoff series. You don’t beat yourself, make good defensive plays, and drive in the runs you need to win.
Astros are doing none of the above.
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Since he had to sit with an injury back on Sept 13th, Yuli is slashing .106/.135/.106 with an OPS of .241 with 0 extra base hits and 2 RBI. In nearly 100 plate appearances. That’s not just being in a funk.
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I completely agree. The Astros have nobody to blame but themselves for being in this position. For me, the most frustrating aspect of this series is Jose Altuve’s defense. Two botched throws on routine plays have led to eight of the Rays’ 11 runs in the series. I understand sometimes the other team makes great defensive plays or you hit the ball hard right at a fielder, but screwing up routine throws from second base or shallow right field should never happen when you consider he had plenty of time to make both plays. Then, McCullers and Paredes compounded the issue by making crappy pitches and hitting batters.
All I can say regarding Yuli is that we better hope he is hurt and his problems are due to some injury. If not, that extension is going to be a costly mistake.
I feel severely hungover this morning and didn’t even drink last night.
In the end, the issue has been the offense. They simply cannot get a hit when it matters. They do not have a run-scoring hit or sac fly other than the five solo home runs. Twice they’ve grounded into rally killing double plays with the bases loaded. Maybe it’s karma, maybe it’s great pitching, maybe the rose is in the back. Whatever the reason, you cannot win games like that. Against anyone.
Preach.
I don’t think this loss bothered me as much as the first. I also think that after the first loss I figured this was Tampa’s year. And their play on the field makes me think I was right. The team as a whole is more focused. Pitching, hitting, and defense. Keirmeier’s defense seems to be playing as though each at bat is the end of a no-hitter.
My team had focus for the first two rounds and then they don’t seem as focused now.
I still love them though.
All you can do is hit the ball hard, which the Astros have and in crucial situations. If the other team makes the plays, that is baseball, and tip your cap to them. I know it is fashionable here to play the blame game, but outs in critical situations are not always the fault of the hitter.
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Great Post!
Darling had a good comment last night:
“Things tend to even out-- in the regular season. Here you may run out of time.”
That’s why the Postseason is so unpredictable. You get a couple of hitters hot at the right time, you can turn a 29-31 season into an ALCS appearance. Those same hitter go cold, or hit a few at 'ems for 20 at bats, and you’re done.
Some irony here: more time in the playoffs might have giving our guys a chance to get to the WS, but more time at the end of the season, the way they were struggling, might have cost them their chances of even getting into the playoffs…
Steve Sax Syndrome