MLB
Pitchers Start off Hot
This was a matchup of 2 great aces, Justin Verlander and Cory Kluber. At first, these guys looked like the pitchers that we know. Kluber and Verlander dominated the first 3 innings. Verlander got his dominant curveball working and Kluber was absolutely hammering the inside edge and the Astros were not able to do anything with it. It was a scorless shutout going into the 4th inning.
Astros Draw First Blood
After the Indians were held scoreless in the top half of the 4th inning, the Astros got the scoring started. On a 2-1 count to Astros’ 3rd baseman Alex Bregman, Kluber gave him a sinker right down the middle and Bregman didn’t miss it; he gave the ball a ride over the left field wall and the Astros had the lead 1-0. Later in the inning, Gurriel was on first with 2 outs, but the Astros have been known for getting hits at any time in the inning. White got a base hit to center and Gurriel was moved to second. Then, Josh Reddick hit a solid ground ball through the right side and it got through. Gurriel scored, and at the end of the 4th inning, to was 2-0 Astros.
In the 5th, George Springer got a cutter over the heart of the plate and he did not miss it. He easily put it in the seats and it was 3-0 Astros. But wait, there is more. Jose Altuve also got a pitch that caught too much of the plate and he and Springer went back to back and at the end of 5, it was 4-0 Astros.
Tribe Strikes Back
Justin Verlander had a no-hitter going into the 6th, but Yan Gomes had other plans. He got a base hit, and then the Indians put some more base hits together. Lindor got a single and Brantley walked, so the bases were loaded with only 1 out, with the dominant Jose Ramirez coming to the plate. However, before Ramirez can even do anything, Verlander misses badly with a curveball. Maldonado can’t block it and it goes all the way to the backstop. Gomes scores and Brantley and Lindor move up a base, 4-1 lead now. Ramirez did end up grounding out but Lindor scored from third and the Indians had cut the deficit in half, 4-2.
Astros Pull Away
The momentum created by the Indians didn’t last for long. Martin Maldonado, a guy brought in for his defense at the catcher position, got a high fastball and again the Indians were bitten by the long ball. It was now 5-2, and the Astros weren’t done yet. After a George Springer single, Alex Bregman, who has been on fire, hit a rocket into the gap. Springer scored, but Bregman was out advancing to 2nd. At this point, it was 6-2 Astros. In the 8th, Josh Reddick also added an RBI single and it was 7-2 going into the 9th. Osuna closed the door in the 9th, as the Astros start the ALDS with the all important 1-0 lead.
Game Recap and Thoughts
The Indians’ bullpen is going to have to do a lot better in game 2. The game 2 starters are going to be Garret Cole and Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco is going to have to be on his A game to have a chance in this game. The Astros hitting has proved that they are complete top to bottom and they are looking to continue this in games 2 and 3.
Final Box Score
Astros Pitching:
Justin Verlander: 5.1 IP 2 H 2 ER 2 BB 7 K (W)
Ryan Pressly: 1.2 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 2 K
Lance McCullers Jr.: 1.0 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 0 K
Roberto Osuna: 1.0 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 1 K
Indians Pitching:
Cory Kluber: 4.2 IP 6 H 4 ER 2 BB 2 K (L)
Adam Cimber: 1.0 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 0 K
Cody Allen: 0.1 IP 2 H 2 ER 0 BB 0 K
Trevor Bauer: 1.0 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 1 K
Dan Otero: 1.0 IP 2 H 1 ER 0 BB 0 K
Notable Hitters
Alex Bregman (HOU): 3 AB 1 R 2 H 2 RBI 1 BB
George Springer (HOU): 4 AB 2 R 2 H 1 R
Francisco Lindor (CLE): 4 AB 1 H 1 R 0 RBI
Photo credit to 227 MLB Spicy via Flickr
