It was a soft cutter that did nothing except hang over the middle of the plate. And Jorge Soler didn’t miss it. The Braves’ newfound slugger smacked Luis Garcia’s weak offering over everything in left field at Minute Maid Park, providing Atlanta with an early lead that wound up being insurmountable.
The Braves defeated the Astros Tuesday in Game 6 of the World Series, riding their red-hot lineup — and trade deadline acquisitions — to their first championship since 1995. Left-hander Max Fried also dominated on the mound, shutting down the Astros for six innings. It was the kind of performance Houston hurlers unfurled against the Red Sox in the final three games of the ALCS.
But in the World Series, they collapsed.
We’ve already covered how Framber Valdez, who tossed eight innings of one-run ball against the Red Sox in Game 5 of the ALCS, imploded on the first night of the World Series. WEEI’s Lou Merloni astutely pointed out the lefty never used his hands to wipe off his sweat, like he was in Boston. Instead, he was using his sleeve.
Houston’s history of subterfuge means nothing can be taken off the table.
Valdez was also atrocious in Game 5 of the Fall Classic, surrendering five earned runs over 2.2 innings. Overall, he allowed 10 runs in 4.2 innings, good for a 19.29 ERA.
Garcia’s shutdown performance in Game 6 of the ALCS was equally baffling, especially considering how the Red Sox clobbered him in Game 2. He was tagged for four runs in 6.1 World Series innings, including three in 2.2 frames Tuesday.
Cristian Javier, a little-known reliever who blanked the Red Sox for three innings in Game 4 of the ALCS, allowed a two-run bomb to star shortstop Dansby Swanson last night. Javier gave up three home runs in three innings pitched against the Braves.
So what happened here? While the sudden dominance of no-name Astros pitchers was curious, their dreadful performances against the Braves indicates the slumping Red Sox’ offense was more responsible for Boston’s woes than any trickery. The Red Sox went 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position over the last three games of the ALCS. Their impatient approach was terrible.
It’s possible the Astros were bending the rules in both series. Garcia, for example, was still touching his ponytail after pitches Tuesday. But some sticky substance does’t automatically make pitchers infallible. The Braves kept pulverizing the ball, and the Red Sox put up little resistance.
The Astros have a great lineup, but their pitching staff falls short. The Braves took advantage, while the Red Sox couldn’t keep up the pressure.