It was a nightmare. Then it wasn’t. Then it was again.
And then it was just over.
Astros ace Hunter Brown lasted just two-thirds of an inning giving up four runs before being replaced. His replacement was AJ Blubaugh, who only survived two-thirds of an inning on Tuesday.
But, shockingly, it wasn’t over. The pitching settled down and the bats heated up. After three solo homers, the Astros were within one until Peter Lambert, who had retired nine straight, walked a pair and Bryan Abreu gave up a three-run homer. Then, it was over.
The White Sox will move onto the ALDS to face the Guardians while the Astros face a long, uncertain offseason with far more questions than answers.
Does Joe Espada remain as manager? Who will be the new GM? Is Jim Crane ready to dismantle the team after three lackluster seasons? Will a work stoppage forestall the season in its entirety?
This is the third straight season where the Astros have been mediocre, at best. After missing the postseason last year, they got in at 81-81 this season, the worst record for a playoff team in baseball history. They fired their GM with a month left in the season, after a trade deadline that once again went bust.
Their roster is unbalanced, a strange mix of aging stars past their prime and young players we aren’t sure about yet. And then there is a farm system decimated by years of sell offs to keep them winning, which they did for over a decade.
That golden era is over and what is to come is uncertain. On Wednesday, this Astros team had their season end the way most of it played out. Quietly and painfully.
What’s next is anyone’s guess.
