HOUSTON — In the eighth inning of Game 1 of this American League Division Series, Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman clubbed his 13th career postseason home run to match the Dodgers’ Justin Turner for the most postseason homers at that position in major league history.
In the eighth inning of Game 2 on Thursday, with the Astros clinging to a tenuous one-run lead, Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais pushed rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena into scoring position by opting to intentionally walk the batter ahead of Bregman in the lineup, a risky proposition considering the score and the resume Bregman has constructed during the Astros’ annual postseason runs.
Bregman delivered a timely RBI single that provided a measure of insurance in the Astros’ 4-2 victory that gave Houston a 2-0 series lead. The Astros will pursue the sweep in Game 3 on Saturday in Seattle.
The batter Servais chose to walk was Yordan Alvarez — who, after clubbing a walk-off, three-run homer in the series opener, hit a two-run homer with two outs in the sixth inning of Game 2 to give Houston the lead for good.
“He’s been super clutch for us all year,” Bregman said of the Astros’ first baseman. “From April on, not only offensively but defensively he’s made super clutch defensive plays.
“He’s got all the tools. He can run, he can hit, he can hit for power, he can throw, play defense. He’s an elite, elite player in this game and I’m super happy to be on his team.”
After going 0-for-2 in his first two at-bats against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo (0-1) on Thursday, Alvarez drilled an 0-1 sinker that was off the plate 371 feet the opposite way and into the left-field seats.
When Pena worked a two-out walk in the eighth, Servais chose not to test his luck with Alvarez, who is almost singlehandedly carrying Houston after plating five runs in the opener.
“Things happen. He’s hot right now,” Servais said. “We’ll go back to our place and go from there.”
Castillo had surrendered two hits entering the sixth inning, the first being a solo home run to right fielder Kyle Tucker that spotted Houston a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Castillo recovered and retired 13 of the next 14 batters, with Pena delivering a leadoff double in the fourth to interrupt his run of dominance.
Pena struck again in the sixth, blooping a single into shallow center field to set the table for Alvarez’s home run.
Castillo allowed three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts over seven innings.
The Mariners will look to avoid elimination when they host Game 3. They likely will need to strike a decisive blow against the Houston bullpen, which repeatedly eluded danger in Game 2.
In relief of starter Framber Valdez (5 2/3 innings, two runs, six strikeouts), right-handers Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly covered the final 3 1/3 innings Thursday and did so in scoreless fashion despite allowing five baserunners.
Neris (1-0) recorded an inning-ending groundout with the bases loaded in the sixth. Abreu struck out the Mariners’ most dangerous hitter, rookie center fielder Julio Rodriguez, with the tying run on in the seventh. Montero and Pressly produced inning-ending strikeouts with runners on, too, as Pressly earned the save.
Rust courtesy of a five-day layoff between the end of the regular season and the start of this ALDS appeared to hamper the Astros’ relief efforts. Yet, despite the peril, the job was done.
“They did a great job getting out of trouble,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “Maldy (Astros catcher Martin Maldonado) did a great job directing them out of trouble. That goes unnoticed sometimes. The catcher really comes into play in the situation: calms a pitcher down, knows when to go to the mound, knows when to call timeout, and putting down the right fingers.
“You don’t invite that kind of trouble. You don’t get out of trouble all the time like that.”
–By MK Bower, Field Level Media
–Field Level Media
