TORONTO – Give Ian Anderson credit. Making the first World Series start of his career against an elite offensive team in bad weather, he held the Houston Astros hitless over five scoreless innings.
But hit total aside, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker had a decision to make after five. With a 1-0 lead to protect and the World Series tied 1-1, he could ask Anderson to put up zeroes a little longer. Given that Atlanta will likely use bullpen games both Saturday and Sunday, there was certainly a case to be made for pushing Anderson for another inning or two.
At the same time, the top of Houston’s powerful lineup was coming up for a third time and Anderson was having trouble locating, with three walks allowed and nearly as many balls thrown (37) as strikes (39). With 76 pitches thrown through just five innings, the chances that he’d reach the ninth were remote at best. And once you concede that a no-hitter is simply not happening, the case for moving on immediately becomes easier to see – especially when an effective Atlanta bullpen is coming off a full day of rest.
In the end the 66-year-old Snitker went to the bullpen. Analytics over tradition? Maybe it was simply urgency over passivity. Whatever you call it, the move worked as relievers A.J. Minter, Luke Jackson, Tyler Matzek and Will Smith combined for four scoreless innings on the way to a 2-0 Atlanta win at Truist Park.
Whether this aggressive bullpen usage costs Snitker later in the series is another question. For now, Atlanta has a 2-1 series lead. Now for some other observations after Game 3 of the World Series…
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
When pinch-hitter Aledmys Diaz led off the top of the eighth inning with a pop-up into shallow left field, it looked like the first out of the inning. The numbers would back that up, as the pop-up had an 85 per cent catch probability, according to Baseball Savant.
But left fielder Eddie Rosario pulled up, perhaps anticipating that shortstop Dansby Swanson would make the play, and the ball dropped in. Set aside the fact that this was the first hit of the game. Team no-hitters are nice, but this is the World Series.
Far more important was the cost of letting Houston’s leadoff hitter reach with the top of the order coming up and just a one-run lead. Rosario needed to charge that ball more aggressively, call for it and dive, knowing that Swanson would be there to ensure the play would remain under control if he missed.
Instead, this year’s NLCS MVP put his team in a tough position with a defensive play not made. For a while, it seemed the Rosario lapse could prove costly, as pinch runner Jose Siri reached third base, but Matzek continued his incredible October by recording a strikeout and two pop-ups. Trouble averted.
A NEW-LOOK OUTFIELD
Speaking of outfield defence, the Astros made some noteworthy changes to ensure they assembled their most dangerous lineup possible. Whenever possible, the Astros prefer to play Yordan Alvarez at DH, but with the World Series moving to Atlanta, the 24-year-old had to play left field with Michael Brantley shifting to right field and Kyle Tucker moving over to centre.
It's less than ideal considering the 24-year-old Alvarez had surgery on both knees last year, but when you have an elite hitter who homered 33 times in the regular season only to do even better in the playoffs? He's playing. It may have been reminiscent of David Ortiz wearing a first baseman’s glove, but like those powerful Red Sox teams, the Astros made it work.
Perhaps predictably, the very first Atlanta hitter to bat tested Alvarez. Rosario popped a fly ball into territory down the left field line and Alvarez approached only to pull up, letting a playable ball drop and allowing Rosario to continue batting (he’d later strike out). But Alvarez did catch a couple of routine fly balls and Tucker did better than that, making a tremendous diving catch to rob Rosario of a hit and end the sixth inning.
A CATCHER STEPS UP
With one of baseball’s best offensive infields and a productive outfield that GM Alex Anthopoulos essentially acquired on the fly at the trade deadline, it has been easy to overlook the catching position when discussing the offensive depth of this Atlanta team. Three games into the World Series, Travis d'Arnaud’s changing that pretty quickly.
After a breakout offensive season in 2020, he slowed down at the plate during the 2021 regular season while also missing significant time due to a thumb injury. Yet so far this World Series, he's looking like an offensive difference-maker once again. He now has five hits in 12 at bats against the Astros, including two home runs, the second of which he hit in the eighth inning Friday to give Atlanta a valuable insurance run.
The 32-year-old also doubled, giving Atlanta some welcome production from the seventh spot in their batting order.
A LOOK AHEAD
The last time Atlanta won a World Series game at home was 1995, and at that point it would have been inconceivable for a Game 4 pitching matchup to remain TBD vs. TBD with less than 24 hours to go before first pitch. But there's no Maddux, Glavine or Smoltz in the wings for either team.
Partly that’s due to injuries, as Justin Verlander, Lance McCullers Jr., Charlie Morton and Mike Soroka are all sidelined. And partly? We’re simply watching an era of baseball where even the old-school managers show little hesitation about mixing and matching – even when it means pulling your starter mid-way through a no-hit bid.
