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HOUSTON – The Houston Astros have made a lot of claims this season. But suddenly, they are full of questions.
Ryan Brasier won a key battle with Alex Bregman and Nathan Eovaldi made six solid runs while Boston beat Houston to take the lead in ALCS.
Major League Baseball is investigating an incident in which an Astros employee pretending to be filming was removed from the photographer's pit adjacent to the Houston canoe in the first ALCS game against the Boston Red Sox.
From the Wild Cards round to the World Series, we'll be covering the 2018 playoffs.
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Yes, they are the defending champions. Of course, they won 103 regular season games. Certainly, they drove the Indians in the series of the American League Division and started the League Series of the American League as strong as ever. But now, after being stunned by the Boston Red Sox in Game 3, they find themselves on the wrong side of a 2-1 record. Plus, they find themselves faced with the prospect of playing somebody who does not call Verlander or Cole or even Keuchel in their most important game of the year. For what it's worth, no one in the Houston clubhouse is panicking.
"I do not think we're going to turn around," manager A.J. Hinch told reporters after his team's 8-2 loss. "So we'll see you here at 7:09 tomorrow night." If you score at home, it's 30 minutes earlier than the first scheduled start on Wednesday. In other words, Hinch is eager to play the fourth game. He is not the only one to have already placed the third match in the rearview mirror.
"This team is doing a good job on the next pitch," said formidable drummer Alex Bregman, who hit the base three more times on Tuesday, but found himself at the center of the round at second goal to end the day. seventh inning. "It's really what baseball is." "Worry for the next field." The first field of play tomorrow is the most important field of our season. is finished, we move to the second baseball is a game that is based on failure, so you have to have a short memory.The guys in this club-club do a good job to understand that. "
The guys at the Astros locker room also have a solid understanding of what it is like to be back to the wall after the offseason. Last year, they were led 3-2 by the Yankees in the ALCS, but they came back to win the last two games of the series and qualify for the Fall Classic. So, it is not like it 's been an unknown territory.
"It takes four wins to win this series," Hinch said. "They know it, we know it, we're 2-1, but it's about tomorrow's game."
With this in mind, here are the biggest questions that Houston will face before Wednesday's match 4:
How much rope does Charlie Morton had?
The Astros had three pitchers who reached 200 innings during the regular season, but Morton was not one of them. In fact, Morton's 167 innings this year have been the biggest number of his throws since 2011, when he had accumulated an average of 171 for Pittsburgh. In addition, the 34-year-old right-hander was selected at the end of August on the list of disabled people because of a discomfort in the shoulder. Although he spent the minimum of 10 days on the shelves, he is not really a workaholic since his return: in the last month, he launched total 58 places. This included a start of 24 shots on September 23, when he was raised after a run because his shoulder was barking. Nevertheless, it is expected to take the mound – for the first time in 17 days – in what is now Houston's biggest game of the year. Not that his teammates seem to be worried.
"Charlie is a warrior," said Bregman of the pitcher who closed the seventh World Series game by throwing four rounds of relief to win after starting the fourth game. "Last year, he was unbelievable in the playoffs, and this year he has won 15. Just a veteran who will fight for his team and try to give us every chance of winning."
If Morton hesitates early though, it would not be surprising to see Hinch give him an early hitch and turn to a long-standing paddock like Lance McCullers Jr. and Collin McHugh.
How much do you have to trust Roberto Osuna?
Since his arrival in Houston in a very scrupulous time, Osuna – the former closest to the Blue Jays who was suspended for 75 games this season for breaking the MLB's domestic violence policy – has been good. Really good. In 23 regular season appearances with the Astros, he scored a WHIP of 0.88 with a 1.99 ERA, and was an excellent 12 for 12 in backups. He also made two scoreless appearances during the ALDS sweep of the Indians in Houston. But all this was interrupted on Tuesday.
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In an eighth nightmare round, Osuna beat two batters and allowed three hits, including a Jackie Bradley Jr. grand slam. The homer extended Boston's lead to 8-2 and completely reduced to silence the noisy crowd of Houston – with the exception of a few puppies raining on Osuna after he was shot.
After the match, Osuna received the usual vote of confidence. "There will be big outs we will need in the rest of the series," Hinch said. "He's going to clear his mind, the farmers have a short memory, especially him, and we're going to wait for him to finish tomorrow night's game with a lead."
Nevertheless, it's fair to wonder how Hinch will use his near 23-year-old in the future. It should be noted that during this eighth round, Osuna made 27 shots, one less than his peak of the season with the Astros. It was August 21 against the Mariners. The next night, Hinch again called on Osuna and the reliever rewarded his skipper by making his first stop in a United Astros. But it was in August and we are in October.
What support has Alex Bregman?
What Bregman does in October joins the legendary. With two hits and a march on Tuesday, his base percentage is now .714 for the playoffs. His seven steps in the ALCS are tied with Barry Bonds and Frank Thomas for the highest number of free passes in the first three games of a seven-game series. It's not for nothing, he's on the lead at third base, where he played several staggering games in the third game. But offensively, as proved by Tuesday's game, he can not bear the Astros alone.
"Their attack did a good job," Bregman said of the Red Sox. "If we want to win tomorrow, we have to do a better job on our side." Despite another big day on the plate, Bregman took the high road and teamed up with the rest of his teammates. "I'm just trying to help my team win games, I have not done that good job well today." I arrived with a man in scoring position and a chance to even the match, but I did not do it. "
He was not the only one who did not succeed: Houston scored one in eight while the riders were in goal and left eight men in base. If the Astros plan to hold the night on Wednesday, they will have to do a better job of capitalization.
How much rest do Houston's shaken stars get?
Despite his difficulties, and despite a long rest period, Correa participated in the six playoff games of the Astros. same for me Jose Altuve, whose sore knee injured his knee Tuesday, seemed less efficient than a single in the first leg in the corner of the left field, which could have been a doubling if Altuve had two good wheels. But do not expect the Houston stars to sit down so early.
"I do not doubt that he will play tomorrow," said Hinch about Altuve. "I'll either play it or play it the second, but it drops everything."
The Astros too. That's enough to move forward, only time will tell.
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