Well, that sucked. Game 3 was a clunker for the Astros as the Phillies hit five home runs on their way to a 7-0 rout of the Astros to take a 2-1 lead in the World Series. The game was never close with Philadelphia going up 4-0 after two innings and never looking back.
Lance McCullers, Jr. could not seem to get his rhythm and every time he threw a pitch in the zone, it seemed, the Phills hitters drove it over the wall including a monster 444-foot blast by Kyle Schwarber. This is what the Phillies are known for, but that one stung. Game 4is Wednesday night with Christian Javier on the bump for the Astros.
WINNERS
Jose Urquidy
One of the Astros best starters throughout the season had not thrown a single pitch until Game 3 when he came in and threw three innings only allowing a single hit and striking out four. Not only did it give him some action finally in the postseason but his efforts kept the Astros from overusing their ‘pen on a night when their starter clearly didn’t have it.
Philly non-ace pitching
The only runs given up by the Phillies in this series came from their two “aces,” Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. Every other pitcher, including their relief core, has held the Astros scoreless. For that matter, only one reliever for the Astros has given up a run as well. It’s truly been the battle of the relievers, something no one expected from a generally underwhelming Philly staff.
The long ball
Philadelphia is known for home runs, but my goodness. They were blasting shots all over the park against McCullers. This is a potent lineup and they flexed all their muscles in Game 3.
Gold Glove winners
One other positive note for the Astros was the announcement of Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Peña as Gold Glove winners for this season. This is the first win for both and Peña becomes the first rookie to ever win the award at shortstop. For the Phillies, J.T. Realmulto picked up the award for National League catcher. The award is given to the best defensive player at every position.
LOSERS
Offensive energy
It’s difficult to understand what exactly happened to the Astros on Tuesday night at the plate. Was it the intensity of the Phillies fans? Was it Ranger Suarez’s pitching? Could it have been the fact that they were in a hole almost immediately? Whatever the case, they didn’t look right at the dish. By the fifth inning, it appeared that had decided it was best to save their energy for Game 4 because they displayed very little after that.
Astros pitching strategy
We don’t know if McCullers was tipping his pitches or just didn’t have it, but his refusal to throw a fast ball to lefties and his repeatedly leaving breaking balls over the heart of the plate made us wonder if it might have been smart to get him out earlier. Granted, he went two scoreless after the first two innings, but leaving him in for the fifth seemed almost inexcusable, like something you might do in the regular season to give your bullpen a rest. You just cannot do that in the postseason.
Rain delays (if you are the Astros)
We also have to wonder if the rain delay on Monday didn’t change the rhythm of the game for the Astros. As a pitcher, you get warmed up and suddenly you aren’t pitching until the next day? Just seems like a bad mix. No excuses. They didn’t come ready to play, rain delay or not, but it couldn’t have helped.
Lance McCullers, Jr.
What a terrible performance from McCullers. The Phillies had his number from jump, particularly his changeup which he struggled to locate. Without a big break on his curve and a refusal to throw a fastball to a left handed batter, he was a sitting duck and the Phils took batting practice. If he comes back in this series — if they Astros get that chance — something significant will have to change.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
