If the Astros miss the playoffs, this game might be the one fans remember the most. It was well under control the whole game….until the last two innings. The title of this game should be, “Where, oh where, have you gone, Josh Hader,” and the subtitle: “Why Bryan Abreu should never be a closer.”
It started auspiciously. The Astros opened the scoring with a first-inning, two-run homer by Carlos Correa to straight-away center.
Meanwhile, Astros starter
Luis Garcia had a clean first inning despite a fastball topping out at 91, and got two outs in the second inning, when he said, “no mas,” pointing to his recently re-engineered right elbow.
What are the Vegas odds of his ever returning to baseball?
But the latest next-man-up, A.J. Blubaugh, held the Blue Jays hitless until his exit at the end of the fifth inning. But in the sixth inning, the Jays got a run back on a George Springer home run off Enyal De Los Santos. (George still got it.) But not until after a Yainer Diaz RBI double earlier that inning.
Behind the relief pitching of Steven Okert and Bryan King, the Astros held their 3-1 lead into the ninth inning. Oh, how we miss Josh Hader. Oh, what a bad time for a Bryan Abreu meltdown. Two walks, two singles, and a throwing error by Mauricio Dubon later, the Blue Jays tied the score at three.
Of course, the Astros failed to score the ghost runner in the 10th inning, and the Blue Jays ended the game when old friend Myles Straw moved to third on a Vladimir Guerrero infield single and scored on a Tyler Heineman fielder’s choice against Craig Kimbrel, the hard-luck losing pitcher.
Let’s not let the offense off the hook. Despite 11 hits, including three each by Yordan Alvarez and Diaz, the Astros again failed to score more than three runs. They were 2-11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.
Is it Joe Espada’s fault that Astros hitters choke? That Josh Hader and multiple others are injured, and that his replacement can’t throw strikes? Is it the hitting coaches? The medical staff? Maybe. But maybe your favorite team just doesn’t get to be division champions every year. And yes, they’re still in first.
