It’s already been 86 years since the home team won a World Series game in Washington, what’s another day or two? No, the Nationals’ first-ever World Series home game didn’t go as planned Friday and just like that their lead over the Astros is just two games to one.
In what was pretty close to a must-win game, the Astros out-played (and out-managed) the NL champs on the way to a 4-1 win. Zack Greinke kept the game close, Robinson Chirinos homered off the left-field foul pole and the Houston bullpen did the rest.
But of course, that’s just the beginning of a three-day juggling act for Astros manager A.J. Hinch. His reward for winning Game 3? Some sleep followed by a bullpen game Saturday with a chance to tie the series 2-2.
But first of all, let’s turn our focus back to Friday and the first World Series game in D.C. since 1933…
Win now, figure the rest out later
Zack Greinke was his typical unpredictable self Friday, throwing fastballs as hard as 92.5 m.p.h. and curves as slow as 67.1 m.p.h. At times, hitters looked completely off-balance against Greinke, who struck out six Nationals.
Zack Greinke, Beautiful 68mph Curveball. pic.twitter.com/M26UBvlG8u
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 26, 2019
But Greinke wasn’t his sharpest, either, walking three and allowing seven hits in 4.2 innings. As a result, the Houston bullpen was in for a long night, and Hinch navigated the late innings seamlessly with next to no margin for error. Josh James, Brad Peacock, Will Harris, Joe Smith and Roberto Osuna combined to pitch 4.1 scoreless innings of relief.
Now comes an even greater challenge. After getting 13 outs Friday, Houston’s relievers will need 27 more in Saturday’s bullpen game.
A missed opportunity
With one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, Washington manager Dave Martinez faced a critical decision. The Nationals were trailing 2-1 at the time, but they had a runner on third with one out and the pitcher due to bat. Martinez’s choice: pinch hit for Anibal Sanchez and turn the game over to a thin Washington bullpen or sacrifice some offence and let Sanchez bat for himself.
Traditionally speaking, managers would stick with their starters beyond the fourth inning, but Martinez had a chance to be bold here. Not only would the Nationals prioritize offence by pinch-hitting, but they could also ensure that Sanchez wouldn’t get exposed against Houston’s stacked lineup. And yes, that might exhaust the bullpen, but … if not now, when?
Instead, Martinez stuck with Sanchez, who struck out trying to bunt. A Trea Turner ground-out later, the inning was over and the score remained 2-1.
Houston then scored against Sanchez in the fifth and sixth innings, putting the game further out of reach. The way the Nationals’ bullpen has pitched there was no perfect choice here, but if you’re going to second-guess Martinez for anything this is it.
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A missed call (or two)
To be fair, you could make the case that Houston should never have scored in the fifth inning. On a couple of different occasions, Sanchez threw pitches in the strike zone only to see them called balls against Michael Brantley. Whether you blame catcher Kurt Suzuki (who later left the game due to an apparent injury) or home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom, those calls hurt – especially against hitters as talented as Brantley.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 26, 2019
On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Brantley singled to right field, scoring Jose Altuve to add to Houston’s lead.
Another big game for Altuve
Speaking of Altuve, he was once again a difference-maker at the plate, hitting two doubles after getting robbed of another likely base hit his first time up. He probably should have reached as a hit batter, too, as replays showed Fernando Rodney’s pitch grazed the second baseman’s jersey in the sixth inning (nobody noticed at field level, so play continued as though nothing had happened).
Either way, Altuve sure hasn’t slowed down since hitting his ALCS-winning homer Saturday.
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