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Jake Klausner
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World Series Game Two
Houston Evens Up the Series, Dominates Braves in Game 2
The Astros bats came alive in the second inning and didn’t look back as Houston ties up the series with a 7-2 rout over the Atlanta Braves.
Houston struck first in the game, thanks to an Alex Bregman sac fly in the bottom of the first. The Braves had a chance to score early in the first but failed to get anything across. Jose Urquidy was able to get out o a jam. Urquidy also became the first player in World Series history to strike out three batters in the first inning.
In the very next inning, Braves catcher Travis D’Arnaud hit a solo homer off Urquidy to tie the game at one apiece.
The Astros answered right back after Atlanta tied it up in the first, starting with an RBI single from rookie Jose Siri. Following that, Martin Maldonaldo hit another RBI single, allowing for Yuli Gurriel to score from second. A throwing error from Eddie Rosario allowed for Siri to score as well, making it 4-1. The carnage didn’t stop there as Michael Brantly hit another RBI single making it 5-1 in the second inning.
Max Fried struggled to get out of the second inning tonight. The left-hander has struggled in his last couple of starts.
The Braves were able to string together some life with an RBI single from Freddie Freeman. That two-out single in the fifth got the Braves within three runs of Houston. However, Houston tacked on more insurance in sixth after another error by the Braves allowed a run to come across to give them a four-run lead. However, they could only get one run across as Dylan Lee and Jesse Chavez pitched well in relief for the Braves to get them out of the sixth.
The onslaught continued as Jose Altuve got to Braves pitcher Drew Smyly in the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff homer in the seventh to make it 7-2. That homer marked the first homer for the Astros in the World Series. It was Altuve’s fourth homer this postseason.
TAKEAWAYS
Astros:
- Astros bats finally woke up tonight. Yordan Alverez continues to have a monster postseason as he had another multi-hit game tonight.
- If you’re an Astros fan, you couldn’t ask for more out of Jose Urquidy. The starting pitcher allowed just two earns on six hits and seven strikeouts through five innings of work.
- Houston’s bullpen continues to show its’ depth as Christian Javier pitched well in relief of Urquidy. Phil Maton came in for Vasquez in seventh and got the final two outs of the inning to get the Astros out of it. Ryan Pressley and Kendall Gravemen closed it out for the Astros.
Braves:
- Atlanta couldn’t get anything going tonight, as the Astros pitching kept them in check for most of the game.
- After giving up four runs in the second, Fried settled in nicely. The young left-hander pitched three solid scoreless innings but got taken out of the sixth inning after leaving runners at first and second.
- The bullpen continues to be great down the stretch. Smyly, Chavez, and Kyle Wright pitched well in relief. Wright struck out the side in his one inning of work in the ninth.
Game 3 Preview
How can the Braves Bounce Back?
After a tough loss in game two, the Braves head back to Atlanta on Friday for game three. The pitching matchup features a couple of young right-handers: Luis Garcia of the Astros and Ian Anderson of the Braves.
At first glance, you’ve got to give the edge to the Atlanta Braves. Having Anderson on the mound is huge. He’s coming off a solid start in game six of the NLCS, and he is as cool as a cucumber.
Garcia, on the other hand, has a lot of upsides. He, too, is coming off a stellar showing in his last outing. If the Astros want to win this game, they’ve got to get Anderson out of his rhythm early.
For the Braves, all they have to do is play their game. As mentioned before, Anderson is a solid pitcher and can go deep in games. They have the offense that can supply the runs. To top it all off, they are doing it in front of their home crowd. The recipe for a perfect game three victory.
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Jake Klausner will be covering the World Series for ThePyrrhic.com. Keep your eyes peeled for more from Jake. Follow him on Twitter @jake_klausner