OT: Stros win 106
- Thread starter Oldmanastro
- Start date
I'm sorry but if you guys thought you could of came in and taken game 3 you should of played the lottery too
The Astros are only down 2-1. Still a long way to go. The Phillies are not winning the WS. Too much talent disparity.
Why is that? Tonight was just Philly's night. They're not the better team. The Astros got this. It's a seven-game series and the better team will prevail.
Robo nowhere to be found game 1 or 2 but comes out when Philly is having a great night. It's all good. Still have a few games to play.
Come on, man. Call your shot before the game. Not after it's safely in the bag.
Tonight the Stroz played like Venables was the guest coach. I'm calling it a night, on to game 4.
Anyone see Philly fans getting cussed out by Mattress Mack? Not sure who started it but he had a few F U's going on.
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I don't blame Mack. The Philly fans were harassing him non-stop, saying some really uncalled for things and acting in their typical classless manner. He finally had enough and blew a gasket with them. I've always liked Mack, but like him even more now. Philly fans doing their part to continue to show why they're the worst fans in sports.
Guy is super nice he's never in a bad mood at games and always takes pictures with fans. I know they pressed some buttons. On top of that he's asking for people to vote the dem judges out of Harris County!
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Blanked 7-0. Talent disparity? C’mon man. Maybe for a full 162 season but playoffs, WS, is all about streaks. Both teams are extremely talented. I have no skin in the game for either team. Just happen to be pulling more against the cheaters vs the worst fans.
Go position by position and you'll see that the Astros are better 1 through 9 and the pitching staff as well. Yes, the Astros are the more talented team. Of course, it matters when you get hot, and the Phils got hot right at playoff time. This series isn't over. I think the Astros win it because they're the better team.
So tired of the "cheaters" nonsense. People throw this label on them because they hate the Astros. They're winning with talent and chemistry. Not by cheating. People need to move on from 2017. And no matter what happened in 2017 — when other MLB teams were illegally stealing signs, too — it’s impossible to deny six consecutive ALCS appearances and four World Series in six years.
CATCHER - EDGE: PHILLIES
Martín Maldonado, who hit a meager .186/.248/.352 in the regular season and was hitless in seven ALDS at-bats, became an offensive contributor in the ALCS, posting a .500 on-base percentage in 10 plate appearances (two hits, two walks, one hit-by-pitch) and delivering a tying double in Game 1. Christian Vázquez, who also hit little after coming to Houston in a deadline deal with Boston, had a big two-run single in Game 3, which he caught for Cristian Javier. But the Phillies' J.T. Realmuto is the best in the business. He hit .276/.342/.478 this season with 22 home runs and 84 RBIs, also stealing 22 bases in 23 tries. (He wasn't caught until the last series of the year against the Astros.) He's 10-for-41 (.244) with two homers (including the first inside-the-parker by a catcher in MLB playoff annals) in the first postseason of his career. Realmuto is also a stalwart behind the plate and was the majors' toughest backstop to run on, throwing out 44 percent of those attempting to steal on him.
FIRST BASE - EDGE: EVEN
After a disappointing regular season in which he slashed .242/.288/.360, defending American League batting champion Yuli Gurriel has come alive in the playoffs, hitting a combined .367 with two home runs in the ALDS and ALCS. Rhys Hoskins hit .246 this season for the Phillies with 30 home runs and 79 RBIs but struck out almost 100 times more than Gurriel (169-73) and is inferior defensively. A mere 8-for-44 in 11 postseason games, Hoskins has made the hits count, swatting five homers and driving in 11 runs.
SECOND BASE - EDGE: ASTROS
Did you know Jose Altuve has three hits in his last eight postseason at-bats (.375)? OK, the Astros' leadoff man had none in his first 25 this year, but even if past performance is no guarantee of future results, it would be wise to remember Altuve had one of the best seasons of his career, hitting .300/.387/.533 with 28 homers and an OPS+ of 160 that matched his career high, set in his MVP season of 2017. He also has yet to add to his career postseason home run total of 23, which ranks second all-time. The man is due to hit one (or two). Philadelphia's Jean Segura batted .277/.336/.387 this year. He can be a thorn, as evidenced by his 6-for-13 (.462) showing against Atlanta in the NLDS. But he was 2-for-17 in the NLCS against the Padres.
SHORTSTOP - EDGE: ASTROS
Including the postseason, the Astros are 49-7 this year -- that's an .875 percentage, folks -- when Jeremy Peña hits second. He might have hit "only" .253/.289/.426 in the regular season, but he's had a bevy of big knocks in the playoffs while going 6-for-17 (.353). There was the two-out ninth-inning single that kept the Astros alive in Game 1 of the ALDS, the 18th-inning homer that won Game 3 of the ALDS, and the game-tying three-run blast in Game 4 of the ALCS, which helped him win series MVP honors. Fellow rookie Bryson Stott hit .234/.295/.358 in his debut season for the Phillies. He's 6-for-30 (.200) in the playoffs and nowhere near the match of Peña with the glove.
THIRD BASE - EDGE: ASTROS
Speaking of big hits, Alex Bregman has had a few of his own this postseason: the homer that got the Astros within two runs in ALDS Game 1, the three-run shot that accounted for all their scoring in their ALCS Game 2 victory and the go-ahead single in their clincher against the Yankees. On the heels of a .259/.366/.454 regular season, Bregman is 10-for-30 (.333) in the playoffs with seven RBIs and a .975 OPS, offering solid lineup protection to Yordan Alvarez. The Phillies' Alec Bohm hit .280/.315/.398 with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs in the regular season. He's a mere 7-for-37 (.189) in the playoffs and has yet to make anyone forget Mike Schmidt defensively.
LEFT FIELD - EDGE: ASTROS
After an attention-grabbing ALDS that included two decisive home runs against the Mariners, Yordan Alvarez was held somewhat in check in the ALCS until Game 4, in which he doubled and scored a tiebreaking run in the fourth inning and, after the Yankees had retaken the lead, produced a game-tying single in the seventh. Alvarez had baseball's second-highest OPS (1.019) in the regular season while hitting 306/.406/.613 with 37 homers and 97 RBIs. Kyle Schwarber is the biggest threat to go deep in this series, having hit an NL-best 46 home runs before adding another three in the NLCS against the Padres. But keep in mind his .218 regular-season batting average and 200 strikeouts -- that's TWO HUNDRED strikeouts -- and the fact he was 1-for-20 in the first two rounds of the playoffs. There's also this: For Boston in last year's ALCS against the Astros, Schwarber was 3-for-25 with seven K's.
CENTER FIELD - EDGE: ASTROS
At what had been such an unsettled position for the Astros during the regular season, Chas McCormick has shone in the playoffs. He's 5-for-20 (.250) with two home runs, including a go-ahead shot off Gerrit Cole in the third game of the ALCS, after slashing .245/.332/.407 in the regular season with 14 home runs. Brandon Marsh, acquired by the Phillies from the Angels at the trade deadline, slashed .288/.319/.455 in 41 games for Philadelphia and has been a big help in an otherwise defensively challenged outfield. But he's only 4-for-26 in the playoffs and hardly an imposing power threat.
RIGHT FIELD - EDGE: ASTROS
Aside from a home run in the ALDS, Kyle Tucker hasn't had a big impact offensively in the playoffs, going a quiet 6-for-28 (214) after finishing third in the American League with 107 RBIs in the regular season while hitting .257/.330/.476 with 30 home runs. He has, however, shown why he's a Gold Glove finalist at his position. (Admit it: You thought Aaron Judge's Game 2 laser in the ALCS was leaving the yard.) After a big year with the Reds in 2021, free-agent signee Nick Castellanos has underperformed in his first season with the Phillies, during which he hit .263/.305/.389 with 13 home runs, none since Aug. 27, though an oblique strain did land him on the injured list for a few weeks in September. He's 9-for-41 (.220) with six RBIs in the postseason.
DH/BENCH - EDGE: PHILLIES
Between them, Aledmys Díaz (1-for-14) and Trey Mancini (0-for-12) are hitting .038 in the postseason for the Astros. Asked halfway though the ALCS -- when Díaz and Mancini were merely a combined 1-for-20 -- if there were a point when he might turn to rookie David Hensley (1.027 OPS in 29 major league at-bats before the playoffs), Astros manager Dusty Baker replied: "Yeah, there's a point. We ain't there yet." Baker is big on sticking with the veterans, and it should be noted Mancini had a walk and sacrifice fly in Game 3 against the Yankees and fell just a couple feet short of a home run against Gerrit Cole. The reigning National League MVP, Bryce Harper missed two months with a broken thumb after posting a .318/.385/.599 slash line with 15 home runs in his first 64 games this year. In the 35 regular-season games he played after that, he strugged to a .227/.325/.352 line with three home runs. But if you look at Philadelphia's offensive numbers and wonder just how the Phillies got this far, the answer is Harper. In 11 playoff games, he's raking .419/.444/.850 with five homers, 11 RBIs and 10 runs. And the decisive home run he hit in Game 5 of the NLCS was proof of his power to all fields.
STARTING PITCHERS - EDGE: ASTROS
Astros ace Justin Verlander (18-4, 1.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP) was hit hard in the ALDS but back to his regular-season self in the ALCS opener against the Yankees, with 11 strikeouts suggesting he might even be getting stronger. As a follow-up to his strong regular season, Framber Valdez (17-6, 2.82 ERA) has a 1.42 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 12 postseason innings. But there's more to Houston's rotation than the Killer V's. Cristian Javier didn't allow a run in his last 251/3 regular-season innings, then, after giving up a solo homer in an ALDS relief appearance, blanked the Yankees for 51/3 innings in the ALCS. Lance McCullers Jr. threw six scoreless innings against the Mariners in the ALDS and left with a lead in the ALCS clincher. The Phillies boast a solid 1-2 punch in Zack Wheeler (12-7, 1.82 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) and Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25 WHIP), and Wheeler has been particularly stingy with baserunners in the playoffs, posting a 0.51 WHIP. But there's a big drop-off afterward in Ranger Suarez (10-7, 3.65), who was shelled for six runs in three innings in the final regular-season series at Minute Maid Park, and the non-Thorian Noah Sydergaard (10-10, 4.12 with the Angels and Phillies combined).
BULLPEN - EDGE: ASTROS
The Astros' bullpen has been nothing short of astounding in the playoffs, allowing three earned runs in 33 innings for a 0.82 ERA. Ryan Pressly was superb in saving three ALCS games, and Rafael Montero, Héctor Neris, Bryan Abreu, Ryne Stanek and even rookie Hunter Brown offer Dusty Baker an overwhelming number of desirable options as a bridge. So far, Phillies manager Rob Thomson has been successful with a mix-and-match approach that eschews defined roles. Seranthony Dominguez (1.17 ERA, 0.39 WHIP in the postseason) might well boast the coolest name in the game and was good for a six-out save in the NLCS. And Jose Alvarado (3.38 playoff ERA), Zach Eflin (5.68 ERA, 1.58 WHIP in the postseason) and even starter Ranger Suarez, who closed out the NLCS, all have playoff saves.
And read my post again. But no problem. You’re a passionate Astro fan. I get it. For some reason I just like Harper. Dude has had immense pressure on him since he was 16. Other than a couple of MVPs he’s finally at the precipice.
And I only kid about the cheater label. Hitting a 98 mph cutting fastball is hard enough even when you know it’s coming.
So are the Phillies America’s team? Take a look at the starting rosters and compare citizenships. Houston 7 full time starters from Cuba, DR, Venezuela. Phillies 2 non national players in rotation. Not even considering pitching staffs. Should we care? Some of you on here would declare otherwise unless you were a fan.
Besides the Yankees and Dodgers, the Phillies are hard to root for because of their obnoxious fans. America's team?? Lol!!
I happen to be here in PA as we speak. Work related. Fans amuck. Yes these guys are nuts.
Big win for the Astros! The Astros no-hit the Phillies, which has on happened one other time in WS history. Tied 2-2 now. One more game in Philly and going back to Houston on Saturday.
This is where the Houston pitching staff is flexing their muscles. Philly doesn't have the pitching like Houston does. Houston's got this World Series.
This is where the Houston pitching staff is flexing their muscles. Philly doesn't have the pitching like Houston does. Houston's got this World Series.
I'd have left the starter in.
If I get 18 outs with no hits and you pull me, we fighting.
I don't know, the World Series is no time to be chasing records. The Phillies would have been on their third time seeing him. It gets much harder on pitchers at that point to get outs.
Plus, he could be available for a few innings in game seven if needed.
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That was a smart move by Dusty. Save those arms because you never know if you might need them in game 6 or 7.
Let's hope tonight JV got some inspiration from our pitchers last night.
I hear you but a W over a NO NO is much more important. If his arm started getting tired that 5-0 lead could dwindle down fast. Dusty did the right thing.
^^^^^this x a million.
Bob Gibson and Tom Seaver must be turning in their graves.
Juan Marichal, Sandy Koufax, Orel Hershiser, and Jack Morris are shaking their heads.
I like Dusty Baker but this is bs. I mean it's the f****** World Series!!! I wasn't even born the last time there was a no hitter in the World Series and you want to take that away from him?
To rest him? It's the end of the season!!! He'll be fine.
The pitch count has bastardized baseball.
No sir. It's just smart baseball. It's not an individual thing about leaving a pitcher in to get his no-hitter in the WS. It's about being smart and doing what's best for the team to win the whole thing. They may need Javier in game 5 or 6, and if his arm is shot after throwing 130 pitches, he's not able to help the team if he's needed.
