ALDS 2: Astros 8, Red Sox 2

Red Sox - 010 000 001 - 2  7  1
Astros  - 202 004 00x - 8 12  0

For the second consecutive day, the Astros utterly dominated the Red Sox. Boston never had a chance. As we saw today, and on Thursday, the Red Sox made a little noise in the early innings, squandered some scoring opportunities, then took the rest of the game off.

Manager John Farrell seemed at a complete loss as to what to do. He sent pitchers to the mound as though he was drawing their names out of a hat and he made two pinch-hitting decisions with no regard for the available statistical evidence.

After Chris Sale allowed a season-high seven runs in Game 1, Boston needed Drew Pomeranz to shine. Sadly, the lefty recorded only six outs and was pulled after facing his 12th batter (2-5-4-1-1, 47). The Red Sox have shown no reason to believe their season will last beyond Sunday afternoon. Doug Fister will be the starting pitcher at Fenway Park.

Once again, Houston struck in the first inning. Pomeranz retired the first two batters, but Jose Altuve singled and Carlos Correa homered to left-center. Pom's 2-2 pitch was a 91 mph fastball, down the heart of the plate, perhaps a tad higher than middle-middle. It deserved to be crushed - and it was. The Red Sox scored in the second, but squandered chances for more. Chris Young doubled and stole third. Christian Vazquez walked. Deven Marrero struck out, but Jackie Bradley singled to center, cutting the score to 2-1. With men on first and second, and one out, both Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Pedroia struck out swinging.

And, of course, the Astros began pulling away soon after that. George Springer led off the third with a homer to center. Alex Bregman doubled and scored on Altuve's single. Carson Smith came in and walked two batters, loading the bases. After Josh Reddick lined out to third, Farrell brought in David Price. (If Farrell had Price up and was planning on bringing him in, why waste Smith? Why not just have Price relieve Pomeranz?) Price got Yuli Gurriel and Marwin Gonzalez on popups to escape the jam.

Price worked around a one-out double and an intentional walk to Altuve in the fourth by getting Correa to pop to second. Price threw a perfect fifth, striking out two. Farrell then called on Eduardo Rodriguez, but stayed with him for only two batters: a single and HBP. (Again: WTF?) Addison Reed got a fielder's choice and a sac fly for two quick outs. It was 5-1. Then he walked Altuve intentionally and gave up a first-pitch double to Correa for two runs and a first-pitch single to Evan Gattis for one run.

Austin Maddox loaded the bases in the seventh, but got Bregman to foul out to first and he fanned Altuve. (Maddox's celebration after the inning-ending strikeout was more than a little misplaced.)

After Bradley's single in the second inning, Dallas Keuchel (5.2-3-1-3-7, 96) retired the next 13 Boston batters, six by strikeout. When he walked Hanley Ramirez with two outs in the sixth, Astros manager A.J. Hinch brought in Chris Devenski. Farrell countered with pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland.

Farrell's move was as moronic as anything we saw from Grady Gump back in 2003. On a list of lowest batting averages in over 100 years by a right-handed pitcher against left-handed hitters, Devenski's 2017 season (.111) ranks #4. His full line is .1l1/.178/.236. ... So when Farrell sees this destroyer of lefties coming in to pitch, what does he do? He removes the right-handed hitter who had doubled and lined out and sends up a lefty. Moreland battled gamely for eight pitches, but popped out to shortstop.

That was bone-headed, but it gets better. In the next inning, Vazquez led off with a single. Devenski is still on the mound. Farrell decided to hit for Marrero, who had fanned twice. So he sends up ANOTHER LEFTY! This time it's Rafael Devers, who strikes out looking on four pitches. The stupidity of these decisions is mind-blowing. Couple that with having (seemingly) no game plan regarding the bullpen at all - and I sincerely hope that this is the final week we have John "The Jaw" Farrell at the helm of the Red Sox.

Angel Hernandez - quite possibly the worst umpire in professional baseball - was behind the plate. So the game was a shit show on another level, as well. If you watched the game, you know Hernandez flat-out sucks. He is incapable of calling a game properly. Ian Kinsler was right: Hernandez is "ruining" baseball games and he needs to "find another job". To think that he "earned" a spot on a postseason crew speaks volumes about how much MLB cares about the integrity of the umpiring in the most important games of the year.

Here is Hernandez's strike three call on Hanley Ramirez (#6) in the third inning.

Another Hernandez call:

Also, MLB's Gameday decided as early as the 5th inning that the Astros were going to win Game 2, and updated their graphics to show Houston with a 2-0 lead in the series.

MLB changed it back towards the end of the game, but then, of course, had to restore it because they were, in fact, 100% correct. This game was essentially over in the fifth inning.

The Red Sox have not led at any point in these two games and have been outscored 16-4.

Drew Pomeranz / Dallas Keuchel

Bogaerts, SS
Pedroia, 2B
Benintendi, LF
Betts, RF
Ramirez, 1B
Young, DH
Vazquez, C
Marrero, 3B
Bradley, CF

Chris Young has replaced Eduardo Nunez on the Red Sox's ALDS roster.

Nunez admits he tried to play before his body was ready: "I really believed I was ready to play at least DH. ... [Y]ou think what you're doing before when you do practice. But in the game obviously it's more intense, it's more reacting and you don't have control of yourself. ... I thought I was a little more ready than what I am."

Doug Fister will start Game 3 in Boston on Monday.