ALCS 6: Astros 5, Red Sox 0

Red Sox - 000 000 000 - 0  2  0
Astros  - 100 001 03x - 5 10  0  

On Monday, the Red Sox set a major league record by getting 10+ hits in their sixth consecutive postseason game. Then, as suddenly as flicking off a light switch, their bats went ice cold. They managed 10 hits total in their next three games, losing all three games.

Boston's season came to an end on Friday night, as the Astros pitcher Luis Garcia (5.2-1-0-1-7, 76) held the Red Sox without a hit for 5.2 innings. Houston won ALCS Game 6 by a score of 5-0, clinching the American League pennant. On Tuesday, they will play in their third World Series in the last five seasons.

Yordan Alvarez was named the MVP of the ALCS. He hit .522 and had an OPS of 1.408 OPS. Alvarez  went 4-for-4 on Friday; he doubled in the Astros' first run in the opening inning, doubled in the fourth, tripled and scored the Astros' second run in the sixth, and singled and scored the Astros' third run  in the eighth (coming home on Kyle Tucker's three-run homer). 

In the final three games of the series, Alvarez went 9-for-13, collecting one fewer hit than the entire Red Sox team. In Game 5, Alvarez became the first left-handed hitter in more than six seasons to knock three hits off Chris Sale. 

In the eighth inning of Game 4, the score was tied 2-2 and the Red Sox led the series two games to one. After that, everything fell apart for the Red Sox (starting with a blown inning-ending strike 3 call by umpire Laz Diaz), Houston outscored Boston 22-1.

This was the first time ever that the Red Sox were shut out on two or fewer hits by the Astros.

Despite the agonizing finish, the 2021 Red Sox must be regarded as a success. No one thought this team would (or could) end up only two wins away from the World Series.

The Red Sox caught a break at the start of Game 6, when Kyle Schwarber swung and missed a cutter from Luis Garcia, but was able to get to first when the ball eluded the catcher. Schwarber got to third but Xander Bogaerts could not bring him home, grounding out to third.

The Astros, on the other hand, took full advantage of their good fortune in the bottom of the first. Nathan Eovaldi had two outs after only three pitches. Alex Bregman singled and Alvarez drove the ball to deep right-center. Kiké Hernández attempted a basket catch of sorts on the warning track, but the ball hit the bottom of his glove near his wrist and fell for what was ruled a double. Bregman scored.

Garcia walked Alex Verdugo in the second, but other than that, he was dealing. After that walk, he retired 13 batters in a row, using a devastating cutter that numerous Red Sox batters could not lay off of. Christian Arroyo saw five balls outside the strike zone in the second inning and he swung at three of them, eventually popping to second. Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez had zero luck hitting the cutter in the fourth. Arroyo and Hunter Renfroe both chased pitches they could not do anything with, let alone reach, and whiffed in the fifth.

Hernández broke up Garcia's no-hit bid (and ended his night) with a triple off the wall in left-center. Unfortunately, it came with with two outs. Phil Maton retired Rafael Devers on one pitch, a pop-up to shortstop. (As Hernández stepped in, Boston had been 3-for-its-last-46 (.065).)

Hernández became the second player in Red Sox history to break up a postseason no-hitter in the sixth inning or later with a triple. Tris Speaker did it against the New York Giants, on October 8, 1912, with  one out in the sixth inning of World Series Game 1.

And right after that, Alvarez led off the home sixth with a triple of his own, off Josh Taylor, to right field, a no man's land devoid of Red Sox fielders, and into the corner. He scored, of course, though the Red Sox nearly pulled off a triple play. Tanner Houck came in and hit Correa. Tucker lined hard to first. Schwarber gloved the ball on a short hop, but Correa couldn't see that and thought he caught it on the fly. He got back to first, the umpire signaled fair ball (as opposed to an out), and he came off the bag , knowing he had to run to second. Schwarber tagged him, stepped on the base a split-second later, and fired home. Alvarez slid in ahead of Christian Vázquez's tag.

After Garcia's low pitch count (13-18-10 11-10-14), the Red Sox made Kendall Graveman work a bit in the seventh. Bogaerts struck out on seven pitches and Martinez drew a seven-pitch walk. Verdugo singled on a 1-0 pitch, sending Martinez to third. Travis Shaw pinch-hit for Arroyo. He swung through a too-high fastball and watched three balls up and away. He took a called strike on the outside edge. Graveman made a throw to first before striking out Shaw with a 96 mph fastball. Verdugo was off on the pitch and was thrown out at second.

That double play, which ended the inning with a man on third in a 2-0 game, and left the Red Sox only six outs in the game, felt like the death knell. Graveman gives up a lot of ground balls, but Verdugo is not very fast, Maldonado has a good arm, Shaw is far from guaranteed to make contact, and there is a runner on third base. It took a perfect throw from Maldonado to get him, but that's exactly what happened.

The Red Sox ended the season 0-for-their-last-17 with runners at second and/or third.

The Astros scored three runs in the eighth, effectively nailing the Red Sox's coffin shut. Tucker lifted a pitch from Adam Ottavino to left-center, where it found a landing place in the first or second row of seats just to the left of the point where the outfield gets a bit deeper.

The Red Sox went meekly in the ninth. Facing Ryan Pressly, Hernández flied to center, Devers struck out, and Bogarts flied to left.

Nathan Eovaldi / Luis Garcia

"Don't Let Us Win Friday Night!"

The 2021 Red Sox will play another win-or-go-home game, tonight in Houston. 

The Red Sox faced the possible end of their season back on October 5, in the American League Wild Card game against the Yankees. They responded to that challenge with a convincing 6-2 victory. They were expected to serve as roadkill for the Rays, but that never came close to happening.

And now they must win tonight for the opportunity to play another do-or-die game on Saturday night. It's rough and mean . . .

As Chad Jennings (The Athletic) writes: "This is not the first time we've prematurely written the 2021 Red Sox obituary."

"This is our story," J.D. Martinez said. "We've been written off all year. Nobody, I don't think anyone in [the press box] either, thought we were going to be here. . . . [W]e know what we're capable of . . . We split [the first two games in Houston]. We won two in a row, they won two in a row, you know? So, it's very possible.

Xander Bogaerts: "We can still get hot. I mean, we've done it before."

True enough. They have beaten the Astros in two straight games within the last week. Why not again?

It all comes down to this: the Red Sox have to hit. To have any kind of chance of winning tonight (and Saturday), it's essential that the bats find at least some of the success they showed in Games 2 and 3. If not, if they squander the scoring opportunities as they have in the last two games, they will be Texas Toast. None of this is insightful.

Also: Boston's pitching — starters and bullpen — are rested and lined up, waiting for the call.

Astros starter Luis Garcia is a complete wild card. He faced only eight batters in Game 2, giving up five runs, four of them coming on a mega-quadrangular by Rafael Devers. Jennings notes Garcia "could be unhittable, or he could be out after a couple of batters".

That's how it goes.

It's harder than it looks . . .