In both their 2017 World Series run and their 2018 ALCS season, the Astros were a terrific regular season road team. They were 53-28 (65%) in 2017 and tied with the Indians for the best road record in the majors and stepped it up to 57-24 (70%) in 2018 when they were 6 games better than the Boston Red Sox for the top road record. In 2019, they had a good road record at 47-34 (58%) but not near the other two years. They rode a pristine 60-21 home record to the best overall record in the majors and a club record 107-74 season.
But what happens during the regular season, does not always translate to the playoffs. In 2017, the road warrior Astros took a 2-0 lead at home in the ALCS and then got pushed to the point of elimination by the Yankees, who stoned them 3 straight games in the Bronx, before the Astros won the last two at home on their way to the World Series.
In a total reversal of that feat, the 2019 Astros, who were so good at home and above average on the road, painted themselves into a veritable corner by losing the first two games against the Washington Nationals at home. This caused the team to hold a players-only meeting after Game 2 and to head to DC with the formidable task of staying alive in the series.
The Astros completely changed the series over a Lost Weekend for the Nats. Their 4-1 win on Friday meant the Astros would not be swept. Their 8-1 spanking of the Nats in Game 4, meant the series would be heading back to Houston for Game 5 on Tuesday. Their 7-1 win in Game 5 meant that the Astros would have two home game opportunities to put away the Nationals and claim their 2nd championship in three seasons.
So what happened in these three games?
Game 3
Game 3 felt like one of those movies (think Freaky Friday) where two characters suddenly trade places. The foundation for those two road wins in Houston suddenly shifted for the Nats and the Astros rode the movement to a 4-1 lead.
In the first two games of the series, the Nationals offense had been a combination of a few timely long balls mixed in with soft contact hits finding open spaces. In game 3, the Astros first score was a Josh Reddick blooper to left that Carlos Correa took a risk from second and turned into a run on an airmail throw from Juan Soto. Then twice Michael Brantley hit singles that in the first two games might have been turned into outs by the Nats, that brought in Jose Altuve for the second and third runs. Then the run that was as much a psychological weapon as a physical one occurred as Robinson Chirinos, who had been brutal hitting in the ALCS swats a homer into the netting on the left field foul pole for the final 4-1 margin.
On the pitching side of the game, Zack Greinke channeled his inner Max Scherzer (at about 8 mph slower) as he allowed 7 hits and 3 walks in only 4-2/3 IP, but only let one run to score. The Nats who ate up the Astros with 2 out scoring the 1st two games left 12 on base in Game 3. The bullpen, led by understated hero Will Harris, held the Nats to only 2 hits in 4-1/3 innings of relief and the series momentum seemed to shift.
Game 4
Game 4 looked like a pitching mismatch with young Jose Urquidy making his first post-season start against veteran Patrick Corbin for the Nats, who had pitched well as a starter (not so good as a reliever) in the post-season. As it turned out, the moment was not too big for Urquidy as he put up a brilliant 5 innings of 2 hit shutout baseball, where he got ahead and stayed ahead of the hitters and only used 67 pitches.
On the other side of the ledger, the Astros got out of the box fast with two runs in the first, including the awakening of Alex Bregman, who singled to knock in the first run. Hero from the first game, Chirinos doubled down with a two run homer to give Urquidy some breathing room and Bregman came back to stick a knife in the heart of the Nats hopes with a seventh inning grand slam. The slam allowed the Astros to give Roberto Osuna, Joe Smith and Ryan Pressly some rest this night.
Josh James stumbled taking over for Urquidy in the 6th, but Will Harris, Hector Rondon, Brad Peacock and Chris Devenski cleaned up behind him and the Astros won 8-1 tying up the series.
Game 5
If this game was Astro fans’ last view of Gerrit Cole in a Houston uniform, it was a heck of a performance. Prior to allowing Juan Soto’s second home run against him in the series, Cole had thrown 6 innings of 2 hit, shut out ball. He got out of the 7th inning with the umpire’s assistance (after the ump assisted the Nats with a walk on a borderline pitch the hitter before). There are just not very many pitchers, who bring the ball 98 mph and up in their last inning of pitching.
On a night where some of us (my hand is waving above my head) were wondering why A.J. Hinch had switched his successful lineup around to put Yordan Alvarez in left field, Alvarez proved Hinch’s faith in him. First he hit a 2 run homer in the 2nd inning and then he scored the third run of the game, riding home on Carlos Correa’s dinger in the 4th. Yuli Gurriel, who has been hitting in bad luck all post season, knocked in a run in the 8th to negate Soto’s home run and George Springer launched a two run homer off of Daniel Hudson in the 9th to take the mystery out of this one.
Joe Smith continued his string of good performances out of the bullpen with a shutout inning and Ryan Pressly looked a lot more like his healthy self in a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close this 7-1 win out.
And Now….
All the Astros have to do now is win at home against the brilliant Stephen Strasburg in game 6 behind Justin Verlander or roll Zack Greinke out in a 7th game against Max Scherzer (if recovered from his neck issue) and/or the whole Nats staff. If the Astros can continue to have their hitters warm up and get into the Nats’ suspect bullpen another insane parade may be in the works for downtown Houston.
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
153 responses to “World Series 2019: Return of the Road Warriors”
Dan, you are busier than I am, so you might have not heard that the Astros’ players say they did not have a players-only meeting.
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OP –
This is truly bizarre – because 1) I did hear this reported a number of different places 2) I swear I heard at least one Astro interviewed talking about this….
If you google “Astros players only meeting after Game 2” – it is in articles from bleachers report to CBS to the Washington Post (oh why should I start believing crap from CBS and WaPo at this point).
I was out of touch most of yesterday until game time, so if they changed this from a players only meeting I may have missed the memo. Maybe one of the coach’s took a shower in the vicinity while they were meeting?
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I am of the opinion that if you continue to jab at the wasp nest that is Justin Velander, you will create something that will sting. Keep talking about Verlander’s world series performances.
As my wife will say as she gives you the death stare: He’s due!
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Our Astros morphed back into their real selves when it was absolutely necessary. I don’t see this changing in game 6. I think Verlander finally gets his World Series win. I do think he’s ready to be done with the season and is physically tired. He’ll get a boost from the crowd though. I also think our bats will find a way to get to Strasburg. With Alvarez reinserted, we’ve suddenly got 9 guys all having good at bats. Chirinos is the guy we saw early in the year. Even Reddick has put the ball in play. Harris and Osuna are fully rested. And I would not rule out Cole in a situation where an essential strike out is needed. We do not want to let the Nationals believe they can own our park. Time to close it out on Tuesday.
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Oh – and the answer to the last post …..Instead of tombstone time, it was Clutch City time.
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Another thing about Strasburg. No doubt he’s a great competitor and has had a career year. But he’s at 256 innings now, with 215 being his previous high back in 2014. He went just 130 last year over 22 starts. He’s got to be tired too. Our guys need to make sure he gets no easy innings.
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We know Justin Verlander is going to bring his A+ game tomorrow night.
He may have some jitters tomorrow, but nothing like Strasburg will be experiencing. If pushed to game #7…..I like our chances, because we have a well rested Greinke! I’m sure the Nat’s are crossing their fingers that Scherzer is well and ready to pitch, if not they will bring back Sanchez to pitch.
This has been a World Series for the ages!
If those two girls who exposed themselves when Cole was pitching , they obviously don’t know Garrit Cole. He was too busy trying to read the umpires mind.
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This day has been dragging by. I am so ready for some baseball and so proud of the Astros and the way they have come back.
Is everybody else as jacked up as I am?
The thought of the Astros playing for the World Championship in MMP tomorrow night is so rich for me.
I’m not sure if I was nearly as excited two years ago because I really didn’t think they could do it on the road. When they won, I cried. This time I think I would be more relieved than amazed. And it would be so sweet to win at home.
I think the Astros haven’t gotten enough credit for the way they came back from so many injuries. Lots of people don’t realize about LMJ and Smith and Peacock and McHugh and Correa and Altuve and Diaz and Springer and Pressley and Sanchez. All of those guys missed a bunch of time and everybody talks about the Yankees injuries, but forgot about how we had a bunch of guys miss a bunch of time.
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Late last Wednesday night I was willing to admit we might not come back in this series. I also felt that it had been a pretty remarkable trip over the past three years and what this club has accomplished. So I did not feel any need to lament a potential loss. And now, four days later, I’m still somewhat dismayed at how remarkably these guys have been able to come together and excel in every facet of their game. We’ve also got a manager, his back to the wall as recently as Friday, who has pretty much made every correct decision there has been to make. Our guys are truly champions. And I think they’ll win back that designation tomorrow night.
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I the Astros play solid baseball. If they do, the should win both games (if best of 8). But baseball is fickle. Let’s enjoy the game.
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In 1972 the Dallas Cowboys played Miami in the Super Bowl. The Cowboys had a strange running back by the name of Duane Thomas. He refused to speak to the media, management, or his teammates all year. After the game he was interviewed, I believe by Tom Brookshire, and ask with this the most important game ever, the pinnacle of sports, how could he be silent all the time. His reply was “if this game was so important why are they having another one next year”. It changed my perspective of sports. Enjoy the game.
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they also asked him, are you really that fast? his answer, evidently
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Thomas also said that Tex Schramm, the GM, was “ sick, demented, and a liar.” When Schramm was asked to comment he said “ He got two out of three correct.” Now back to baseball.
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I’m looking forward to seeing orange jerseys tomorrow night, and seeing dirty uniforms when the game is over! I have a strong feeling game #6 is gonna be a humdinger…with a lot of drama! The Nat’s aren’t going down without a fight.
I fully expect both sides are going to try and get the starters out as soon as possible….so we may see a bonified slugfest! I’m a gambler, so my money is on Justin Verlander outlasting Strasburg! Becky⚾
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Just wanted to add in that when the Nationals secured the first pick in the draft used on Strasburg and the Astros used their compensation pick on Bregman at #2 that games like this were what the front office had in mind. As a sports fan it’s a privilege to watch out hometown team compete on the biggest stage. Hopefully all those fans in Baltimore, Detroit, and any city other than Miami that had an awful year watch this and take heart that with a few good picks, signings, and developments for players in their system they could be playing at the end of October as well.
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I’m expecting us to close it out tomorrow. I must say the Nationals fans are a different breed from the Yankees fans and I thank them for being classy yesterday minus the flashers
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The guy who saved his 12 dollar Bud Lights taking the Alvarez homer in his gut Sunday night is being flown into Houston tonight for the game. My guess is that he’ll also get free Bud Light. That’s a heart warming story.
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I see a Bud Light commercial in his future
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Only 17 comments since yesterday afternoon. Is this the calm before the storm?
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Yes, tremendously quiet. They are all hunkering down I guess…..Saying rosaries. Visiting the chapel. Burning incense. Sacrificing animals (I think OP does this anyways).
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I ate my keyboard for lunch. Everyone is here for dinner but nobody is saying much. I think we are saving our energy.
Me? I’m a wreck.
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We are all standing in line at Wing Stop.
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Am I nervous? HELL YES I’M NERVOUS!! I said my usual prayer before a game, and I’m hoping God will answer my other prayer that Joe Buck losses his voice tonight🙏! GO ‘STROS!!
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Bad luck. Verlander is sharp.
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What just happened in the 1st is why I don’t like the shift. I could see Altuve shaded to second base but the entire right side of the infield was open. Oh well, lets go get some run support. And Joe Buck isn’t biased is he?
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Alright folks, that’s it, time for bots to make calls behind the plate. ABreg jacks one out, go STROS!!!!!
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And Yuli almost goes back to back. Strasberg is vulnerable despite what the announcers say.
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Surprisingly Staus threw the HR right down the pipe. ABreg made him pay. Do that to YA also pls. Hopefully he won’t take that like he normally does
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Dan P rode the bus home. A bus broke down ahead of us totally blocking it.
Two hours and twenty minutes later I get home in time to see the Astros wonderful first inning.
My son Adam texted me a Joe Buck Astros Bingo card. It is as hilarious as you would think it is. If I can figure out how to share it I will.
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Whose with us tonight?
How are y’all feeling?
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DON’T ASK!! I’m nervous as all get out😨
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Our guys aren’t making Strasburg work, but the Nat’s are killing Justin.
Thank goodness Verlander can throw over 100 pitches, because I don’t see one guy in the bullpen I would feel good about putting in this game.
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JV’s fastball command is somewhat lacking. Hopefully he can get it back. We need 7 innings from our #1.
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It wouldn’t be a Verlander start without a homerun. And one more. DAM-IT.
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Bregman may be a little cocky but Soto is an &^%hole. He’s classless. Maybe a little chin music is in order.
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We can’t be giving away AB’s like that Tuve. Golden opportunity to at least tie flushed. Wow Ms Z, some chin music, lol
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Nolan Ryan called it giving the batter a bow tie.
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GET OFF THE MAT YOU RUBES!!! Score some runs! Don’t let them beat you
3-2!! JEEZE.😳
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All CC does is K’s on pitches way out of the zone. Doesn’t look good but maybe they’ll prove me wrong.
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If they change this, I’ll flip
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We should have quickly thrown another pitch instead of changing pitchers
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Dammit
I got a bad feeling this is a flip of 2017 and we’re the Dodgers
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If we can’t win 1 of 4 games at home we don’t deserve to win the WS.
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There’s your ballgame. A 2 run homerun- Nat’s 5 Astros 2
The way they are playing they won’t come back.
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Harris got screwed having to wait on the mound for soo long. Don’t forget we still have 9 outs.
And what a meltdown by Martinez.
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After nearly 7 innings we can’t seem to get a bead on all those breaking, changeups, curvy balls by now. Stras should be gone by now, geez
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FFS play like you care!!!
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DEVO…STRIKES AGAIN. Goodnight folks it’s been over since the third inning.
Totally up to these guys if they want to win tomorrow.
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I don’t know if it was fair of me to expect the Astros to win four straight.
Verlander has been running on fumes all post season.
And then he let Soto into his head.
I hate that the umps are so much a part of the game, night after night. I hated seeing Brantley get called out in the first on a ball 4 inches off the plate. Could have been a bigger inning.
Having Harris standing out on the mound for almost ten minutes could not have helped either.
Never thought I’d see a non-reviewable play get reviewed.
Cole will be out in the pen tomorrow and will pitch unless it’s a blow out one way or the other.
I thought Strasburg was beatable tonight, but our guys sure didn’t.
Might as well win it in 7 and give the fans their moneys worth.
Good night Houston.
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I’m exhausted and am not going to watch any more baseball games this year after tomorrow night.
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Me either.
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Frustrating game my friends.
Yes we didn’t get innings of moaning and groaning over Brantley getting called out like we did on Robles the other night or about this interference call tonight.
They kept saying the runners allowed to come back in on his last stride. OK. They did not point out that the runner was NEVER in his running lane. I think if he had been in his running lane and then cme back on his last stride it would never have been called.
In 2017, JV lost the 6th game when we could have clinched. We then had to stitch together a 7th game with McCullers Peacock and Morton.
Could this be a Greinke Urquidy Cole moment?
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well it somehow seems fitting that game 7 decides it. time to let it all hang out. i hope we get the good greinke.
having game 7 at home means more playoff revenue, so maybe crane puts it to use to help resign cole? farfetched, but so was signing verlander at the last second. and then greinke last minute this year as well.
we need four or five bats to all come alive and hit together for an entire game. and maybe an unexpected boost from someone, tucker, reddick?
i feel like the team has one more in them, tomorrow we’ll see.
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If you can win one more home game, we are world champions. If we lose a 4th, we don’t deserve it.
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Unfortunately my headline – return of the road warriors appears to apply to the Nats….
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Like 1OP, I’m ready for the 2019 campaign to be over. 180 games is enough. Ask Verlander. If I’m a Nat’s fan I feel pretty good right now with Scherzer, Corbin, Sanchez, Doolittle and others all available.
But we’ve got the best team on paper. If everyone gets their jobs done, we’ll win game 180. And I’d sure like an ump free game tonight. Can anyone call a good game at the plate?
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Greinkie, Urquidy, and whoever else we need to get the pitching done. And maybe some smarter hitting with going against the shift where they aren’t instead of trying to pull the ball. I felt that there were lots of pitches like that available to us, but we keep trying to pull it and rolling it over for an easy out. Stop taking two strikes down the middle and then flailing away at pitches out of the zone or in the dirt. And not to be superstitious, but the three games that we have lost, we scored 2 runs in the 1st inning in all of them. Either score more or less but not 2. It’s time to put the so called “home field advantage” to our advantage.
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I do want to defend umps a bit. In our minds we think – oh easy – the strike zone is the strike zone – the plate is not moving – balls and strikes are a cinch. But in reality the zone changes from batter to batter based on their height and stance. You are often having the movement of the catcher distracting you – because he is moving at the last minute. The ball is not only coming in as a blur, it is coming in and breaking this way or that way of down or both. And then you have to decide where you stand to call balls and strikes. If you are the catcher’s right shoulder you don’t have a good view of the other side of the plate or vice versa.
I know they are pros – but it is a whole lot easier to see a ball is 6″ off the plate with the box on the screen than it does in real life.
Yes, they make mistakes just as the pitchers who throw the ball do…
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Dan, it’s probably more fair to blame MLB for not being able to get consistent, ball and strike calling from a home plate ump. It’s bad, night after night. The flaws are more apparent when we have the technology to show us when an umpire misses a call. But it’s also clear to the naked eye that MLB umps miss calls that are far out of the zone and definitively in the zone. It’s just not fair to the hitters and pitchers who have to adjust every night to a different, frequently erratic zone. And I do not think umpires have gotten better at their jobs. In fact, MLB and the umpires union have long allowed bad umpires to keep working, perhaps to a point where their eyes can’t keep up with the game. And ultimately, that affects the integrity of the game. I think we’ll see ball and strike calling technology fast tracked.
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The best point you have there daveb is the fact that umps are more likely chosen to ump the playoffs based on things other than how they graded out. And Joe West is a perfect example of someone who can not physically do a good job umping but is note replaced.
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I saw something last night that has me frightened.
One team got so upset with a rule that is crystal clear in baseball. That rule is the one that says the batter must run outside the first base line on his way to first base so that he doesn’t interfere with a play at first base. Baseball provides that rule with a lane made with chalk on each side of the proper route, so that the runner and the ump can easily spot where a runner is supposed to be and so that a fielder can see the avenue he is allowed to use on his throw.
How is it that lifelong players, managers, coaches, fans and announcers try to ignore this rule or actually call for it to be changed, just because one of their players chooses to ignore it and gets himself called out for the rules violation?
We have the replay to verify the ump’s call and it is so clear to everyone who watch the replay that Trea Turners fist step in the proper running lane occurred on his first step past the 1B bag. Turner never stepped in the proper running lane in his entire trip to 1B and the last step he took with his left foot before reaching 1B was on the infield grass. How can anyone in their right mind call this play controversial? What is John Smoltz thinking? He’s a HOF pitcher who has probably seen this call a hundred times in his career and still ignores the rule and creates confusion because of his stupidity and prejudice on the air.
Then they made a huge point to compliment the Nationals for “overcoming” the supposed highway robbery on the “controversial” play.
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Funny – old pro – I thought I had posted about this exact thing – but it was in a series of texts with my sons that I totally echoed what you said:
“I still like how they talk about how the runner had to come back out of the running lane for his last stride – when the runner never ran in the lane to begin with. If the guy was running in his lane then went back to the base on his last stride the ump would never have called him out in the first place.”
“Now if the Astros tie the game – WE WILL NEVER EVER HEAR THE END OF THIS”
I did not hear them lamenting Brantley getting struck out in the first inning on Ball 4 when Bregman would have brought him in with his HR.
I am so sick of this broadcasting team. They don’t even attempt to be even handed.
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I was certainly flummoxed. That’s a very specific and clear rule that I’ve known all my life. Even this morning I was watching a tape of a post game review of that play where Fox sent a couple of their team, former players, to run up and down between home and first, late last night after the game, to argue about the rule. I don’t know who the guys were, but one former player insisted the runner had done nothing wrong.
The real tragedy is that Harris had to hang around on the mound for the longest review in history, on a play that was not reviewable. Neither Hinch nor Harris was willing to say that the wait might have impacted Harris’ effectiveness going forward. It should never have happened though. And that’s what the expert talking heads should have been talking about.
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What is it about playing at home each tm finds so repulsive? They hit, pitch & field like &$* before huge crowds. AT HOME for chrissakes! Talk about a wacko game, this defies logic. It has left the bldg, AT HOME! The Nats feel they have their mojo back in our bldg, we absolutely must dissuade them of that belief tonight.
In gm 4 vs Corbin the booth discussed a specific hitting plan for the lineup before the gm, which the Stros executed to the tune of everyone hitting except GS & CC. Strasburg was hittable last nite, we made him un-hittable. Whatever game plan they have for Scherzer, who miraculously is back on the mound, they‘d better execute to a tee because flailing & wailing does not suit this tm, AT HOME! We are all anxiously waiting to celebrate with you guys tonight, GO STROS!!!!!
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Things I have learned about baseball and life through watching games 1-6 of this series:
1. Thus is not the same game I fell in love with as a child;
2. I am no longer the same person – much less the child- I was when I fell in love with baseball;
3. Patently Biased and totally full-of-$&@? Announcers make watching a game with the sound ‘on’ an unpleasant, tiresome experience;
4. Justin Verlander is a great pitcher who is not likely to ever win a World Series game; he just doesn’t have it in him;
5. The Nats’ resident jerk (Soto) is both a better player and even, if possible, more obnoxious and disrespectful of the game than our resident jerk (Bregman);
6. The Nats have way better at bats and pitch recognition than our guys do; and
7. I don’t think the Astros will get anywhere close to the World Series again for a long, long time
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Mr. Bill,
I’m fully with you on 1, 2, and 3. I’ve been going sound free all month.
Verlander can win a World Series game, but I don’t think he can give us 250 plus innings a year at this point. He was gassed as we entered the post season.
We’ll see about Soto. His attitude is questionable. Pitchers will figure him out to a degree. But I so wish that Bregman would just put his head down and play the game without giving the other team further incentive to kick our asses.
As far as number 6 goes, I agree, but only when the Nat’s are on the road in Houston. Don’t forget that we owned them 19-3 over the three games in DC.
And I do think the Astros will be in the post season mix for years to come. I also think though that we’ll see a fair about of personal change by Opening day in 2020.
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