New York Yankees vs Houston Astros Game 2 of the NLCS: reactions and takeaways
The Yankees have got a lot to do if they’re going to get back into this series. Either way, here’s a look at what we learned in Game 2 of the ALCS.
With just two wins between them and a place in the World Series, the Houston Astros are also on the verge of winning their fourth American League pennant in the last six years. While Thursday night’s game was a close one, the Astros managed to hang on till the end and emerged with a 3-2 victory. Join us for a look at some of the takeaways from the Game 2 of the ALCS
The Astros are in the driver’s seat
While it’s true that the series is not over, the reality is that across MLB history anytime a team has taken a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series, they have gone on to win it all 84% of the time. That’s not to say no team has turned over a 2-0 deficit, in fact the Yankees themselves did so against the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series and most recently, the Dodgers did it against the said same Braves in the 2020 NLCS. The point is it can be done, it’s just not common.
Alex Bregman was again the protagonist
As was the case in Game 1, Alex Bregman was once again the man of the moment in Game 2. Indeed, with its roof open on Thursday night, Minute Maid Park witnessed Bregman and the Astros take an early 3-0 lead in Game 2. It was the bottom of the third, when Bregman unloaded on a Luis Severino. The Yankees pitcher could only watch as his pitch was launched into the Crawford Boxes for a three-run home run and just like that, the Astros were 3-0 up. It was Bregman’s 14th career postseason home run, breaking a tie with Justin Turner for the most ever by a third baseman. While some may argue that more postseason games are played now, one still has to hit the ball so, end of story.
The Yankees were a little better on offense
Let’s be honest, the Yankees have been struggling on offense. Indeed, following Bregman’s homer, one could have been forgiven for thinking the Astros were going to romp to an easy win. It must be said, however, that the Yankees collected themselves and got right back into it. First, it was Framber Valdez with two errors on one play, muffing a comebacker, then needlessly throwing the ball away. With that, there were now runners on second and third and no outs. From there, Anthony Rizzo grounded to first on two strikes which scored the first run and advanced a runner to third. It was then Gleyber Torres’ turn and the second baseman obliged with two-strike infield single to score the second run. Cool as you like, the Yankees had cut the lead to 3-2 in just a few pitches. While they definitely have a mountain to climb, the Yankees should feel encouraged by the productivity shown as it’s been missing so far.
Framber Valdez found his footing
One thing that’s been special about the Astros in this series, is their pitching. Following Torres’ run scoring single, Valdez went on a mission. The Dominican pitcher retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced, including seven via strikeout. This of course, follows on from the performance of Justin Verlander in Game 1, who retired the final 11 batters he faced, including nine on strikeouts. While the pair seemed to struggle initially, it wasn’t long before they got going. In total, Valdez struck out nine in seven innings, and his 25 swings and misses are a new career high. On just his curveball, Valdez got 16 swings and misses, which is the most on a curveball in a postseason game since pitch tracking first became available in 2008.
José Altuve still needs to step up
Though they will surely be happy with the win, the Astros and their fans have got to be concerned about the slump that José Altuve currently seems to be in. Game 2, saw the Venezuelan go 0 for 4 which in turn brings him to 0 for 23 this postseason. To be clear, that’s the longest hitless streak of 2022 and the longest hitless streak to begin a postseason in history. You’d have to go back to the 1968 World Series, when the Cardinals’ Dal Maxvill went 0 for 22, to find the last time someone was this bad. Again, the Astros are in the lead so it’s clear they don’t ‘need’ Altuve to produce, but it would certainly go a long way towards securing a series that’s still technically up for grabs. We should mention, that the Yankees pulled out a spectacular play to rob the slugger of what would have been a hit in the 7th inning.