Think what you want about home-field advantage in the playoffs, but for the Houston Astros, it’s a real thing.
The club entered Game 3 of the World Series on Friday with a 6-0 record at Minute Maid Park this post-season and added to that tally with a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Houston now has a 2-1 lead in the Series and, if they continue their perfection in The Lone Star State, could be crowned champions by Sunday.
Here are some observations from Game 3.
Missing: Ken Giles
As Game 3 moved toward the later innings, it looked like Astros closer Ken Giles was going to find himself in the spotlight again. The right-hander’s struggles have been well-documented and rightly so — he’s allowed at least one run in five of his six appearances this post-season.
That includes a blown save in Game 2 of the World Series when he nearly coughed up the winning run to the Dodgers in the 10th-inning.
But as Friday night’s contest moved into the ninth, with the Astros leading by two runs, Giles was sitting in the bullpen. In his place on the mound was Brad Peacock, pitching in his third straight inning after coming on in relief of starter Lance McCullers, Jr.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch was using a similar trick to the one he employed in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Yankees, when he turned to McCullers for a four-inning save. It worked to perfection then, and once again on Friday, as Peacock tossed 3.2 hitless frames to earn the first save of his major-league career.
There’s no doubt that Giles’s confidence is waning right now. And Hinch’s decision to not use the hard-throwing right-hander is in stark contrast to his comments on Thursday, when he told media, “I think Ken Giles is going to get another save in this Series. I think he’s going to get some really big outs. I think when the crowd is standing in this ballpark over the next couple of games, if we can have the lead and he’s the right matchup, he’s going to get the last out. He’s done it awfully well this year.”
We’ll see if Giles gets another opportunity for atonement in Games 4 and 5 on Saturday and Sunday.
[relatedlinks]
Darvish didn’t have it
Friday night’s contest marked the first of three games on consecutive days in the World Series. Because of that, preserving bullpen arms would be key for both teams. (Maybe that explains why Giles wasn’t in the game.)
Dodgers starter Yu Darvish had dominated over his past five starts — allowing just three earned runs since Sept. 13 — so manager Dave Roberts had to be confident that the right-hander could soak up some effective innings in Game 3.
What happened, though, amounted to almost a nightmare scenario.
Darvish lasted just 1.2 innings in what was the shortest outing of his MLB career. For the first time ever, he didn’t even register a strikeout. Astros batters fouled 13 pitches off Darvish, who managed just two swinging strikes among his 49 pitches. Simply put, he just didn’t have his stuff.
Yulieski Gurriel led off the second inning by sending a Darvish fastball screaming into the Crawford Boxes in left field at 104.3 mph. The Astros continued to punish the right-hander, stringing together several hits and pushing the score to 4-0.
Dodgers relievers Kenta Maeda, Tony Watson, Brandon Morrow, Tony Cingrani and Ross Stripling combined to cover off the rest of the game. Add in the fact that Game 2 starter Rich Hill lasted just four innings, and it’s apparent the Los Angeles bullpen has been forced to carry a substantial load so far in the World Series.
It’ll be interesting to see the carry-over effect this weekend.
A-plus for athleticism
Teams are usually so evenly matched in the World Series that the winner is often determined by the margins. Athleticism falls into that unquantified category and was on prime display by the Astros in Game 3.
Centre-fielder George Springer led the charge on that front, covering a vast amount of ground to chase down a 402-foot smash to right-centre field off the bat of Justin Turner in the first inning. The outfielder, known by Houston fans as ‘Super Springer,’ also saved a run in the fifth with a flashy, head-first, diving catch that saved a run.
Second baseman Jose Altuve made a strong play in the opening inning to knock down a ball in shallow right field and retire Corey Seager at first base. Meanwhile, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa helped turn a nifty double play in the third inning that allowed McCullers to escape a bases-loaded jam with minimal damage. The next inning, Correa delivered a strong throw from left field to second base, nabbing Yasiel Puig as he tried for a double.
If any of those plays aren’t made, the complexion of Game 3 could have been drastically changed.