Astros rough up Darvish on way to Game 3 victory
Four-run second proves decisive as Astros take 2-1 series lead over Dodgers
HOUSTON The Los Angeles Dodgers took their cue from starting pitcher Yu Darvish Friday night at Minute Maid Park and they have the scars to prove it.
The Astros clobbered just about everything Darvish offered in the short time he was on the mound, opening up a big lead on their way to a 5-3 win in Game 3 of the World Series.
As much as the previous game back in L.A. was a beauty for the ages, this one was often ugly for both teams, but especially the Dodgers.
The Astros were ready and willing to take advantage, however, scoring four runs in the second as they hit Darvish’s meagre stuff hard, even on the outs. With the Dodgers’ offence not up to the task, either, they never truly threatened to mount a comeback.
And now the American League champions have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, which continues with games here Saturday and Sunday.
Yuli Gurriel, big brother to Toronto Blue Jays prospect Lourdes Gurriel Jr., got the offence started with a 440-foot leadoff home run in the second and his brethren on MLB’s highest scoring offence quickly joined in.
Darvish looked lost and uncomfortable from the outset.
He gave up six hits and four runs and left after just four outs. By then, he had thrown 48 pitches and dug his team a big hole.
As that dramatic extra-innings Game 2 win by the Astros showed, fortunes can shift in a hurry between these two and the Dodgers hung around. They manufactured a pair of runs in the sixth to stay in touch, but couldn’t pull closer.
The Astros — who had a 12-4 edge in hits on the night — had chances to break it open.
Most notably, in the seventh inning George Springer hit a twoout, bases-loaded fly ball 408 feet to the centre-field warning track, only to be denied.
Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. didn’t exactly seem comfortable early in his first World Series appearance. His response to his teammates staking him to a 4-0 lead was certainly underwhelming. McCullers walked the bottom two batters in the Dodgers order to start the third inning, then loaded the bases with another walk to Justin Taylor.
Somehow he got out of the bases-loaded, nobody-out jam by allowing just one run.
McCullers settled down from there, allowing four hits in 5.1 innings. The Astros’ starter was on the hook for all three Dodgers runs, but was picked up nicely in relief by Brad Peacock, who retired the final seven batters he faced.
YU STRUGGLES
Darvish picked a miserable time to have the worst game of his MLB career.
The 12/3 innings he lasted before Dodgers manager Dave Roberts could finally get someone warm in the pen was the shortest outing of his career, both post-season and regular season.
He didn’t get his fourth out of the game until his 46th pitch and by then the Astros had jumped out to a 4-0 lead.
It is suspected the Dodgers saved Darvish for the Game 3 start because of his familiarity with Minute Maid, which he visited regularly while with the Texas Rangers. In six starts in Houston, Darvish had four wins and a tidy 2.16 ERA.
GURRIEL CAUGHT
They didn’t have cameras capturing every player’s move back in Cuba, but that doesn’t excuse Gurriel from apparently mocking Darvish’s Asian heritage.
When he returned to the Astros dugout after his home run, an emotionally charged Gurriel was seen using his hands to make his eyes appear slanted.
QUICK HITS
While not as damaging as Darvish, it was a night Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger would rather soon forget. Bellinger struck out four times. Bellinger is now 0-for-11 in the series with seven strikeouts … It wasn’t just starting pitching that was sloppy for the Dodgers. Yasiel Puig had a brain cramp in the sixth when he ripped a shot down the left-field line that should have been an easy double. But Puig eased up after reaching first, then realized what was happening and made a wide turn, only to get gunned down at second … McCullers had just three strikeouts in the game, all of them on Bellinger … On the other hand, the Astros were solid defensively, most notably a nice running catch by centre-fielder Springer to rob Chris Taylor of a run-scoring hit … Injured Houston Texans defender J.J. Watt threw out the ceremonial first pitch and nearly brought down the house … Astros right-hander Charlie Morton is scheduled to face Dodgers lefty Alex Wood in Saturday’s Game 4.