AT HOME ON THE ROAD
ASTROS RETURN TO FORM AS GREINKE, BULLPEN STYMIE NATS
WASHINGTON — The World Series finally showed up back in Washington, 86 years later — and, sparked by Jose Altuve, the Astros finally showed up in this World Series.
Altuve doubled twice and scored both times, Zack Greinke repeatedly worked out of trouble and the Astros made sure they wouldn’t go quietly after looking listless at home, beating the Nationals 4-1 on Friday night to cut their deficit to 2-1 in the Fall Classic.
“I just liked the competitiveness of our atbats,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said. “We were kind of pretty focused on handing the baton to the next guy, which is really important. We’re at our best when we do that.”
Houston can even things up in Game 4 on Saturday night at Nationals Park. Washington will start $140 million lefty Patrick Corbin, while Hinch said he’ll go with rookie Jose Urquidy.
Washington’s eight-game winning streak, tied for the longest in a single postseason, ended with a sloppy performance in the first Series game hosted by the nation’s capital since the Senators lost to the New York Giants in 1933.
A sellout crowd of 43,867, dressed mostly in red for the occasion, soaked it all in.
But the wild-card Nationals were unable to move one win from a championship, undone by an inability to come through in the clutch. Birthday boy Juan Soto, MVP candidate Anthony Rendon and Co. were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving 12 runners on base.
How big was this win for Houston? No team ever has come back after dropping the first three games of a World Series.
Maybe that’s why several Astros players gathered for a private meeting after their 12-3 loss in Game 2 on Wednesday. Whatever was said apparently worked.
After playing what might have been their worst baseball of 2019, the Astros suddenly played more like the club that led the majors with 107 regular-season wins.
Greinke, the 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner, only lasted 4‰ innings and allowed seven hits and three walks, but he managed to give up just one run. He was followed by five relievers who combined to give up two hits in 4⅓ scoreless innings.
Josh James earned the win, striking out Ryan Zimmerman with two on to end the fifth. Roberto Osuna heard boos when he entered in the ninth but got the save.
Josh Reddick delivered an RBI single in the second, Robinson Chirinos homered in the sixth and Houston scored four runs in 5⅓ innings off Anibal Sanchez. The 35-year-old righty had taken a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his previous start, in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Cardinals two weeks earlier. He gave up a hit on his 103rd pitch that night; this time, he allowed one on his third, to George Springer.
Sanchez went sprawling off the mound to try to make a play but couldn’t. All part of a rough night in which he got so upset by a couple of ball calls that he asked plate umpire Gary Cederstrom, “Where was that one?”
Sanchez later barely avoided taking a ball to the face, getting his glove in the way just in time to deflect what ended up as a single. Another Houston hit came when Springer sent a comebacker off reliever Joe Ross’ left foot in the eighth.
In sum: After the Nationals could do no wrong for so long, things went awry Friday.
They made two errors and at least three other misplays on what were ruled hits. They allowed the aggressive Astros to steal four bases, two by Springer. Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki left in the sixth after taking a ball off his arm behind the plate.