HOUSTON (SPORTSRADIO 610) – Following a 7-0 loss to the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS in which the bats went silent, the Astros will continue to zero in on what makes them a successful offense.
"I think our guys are ultra-focused on the right things. And certainly you have to make sure they don't try to do too much, and don't start chasing or don't start expanding the zone against these good pitchers. Paxton is going to come in tomorrow with a high-end fastball and some pretty good secondary pitches. We just have to keep the zone shrunk where we're controlling the strike zone a little bit," Astros' manager A.J. Hinch said following the 7-0 loss to the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS.
The Astros were shutout for the first time since July 11, a span that stretched 76 regular season and post season games. Needless to say, the Astros also failed to homer, which snapped a 30 game home run streak by the club. The 30 game streak is the second longest in MLB history falling one short of the record held by the Yankees, who set the record earlier this season.
After the Game 1 loss, the Astros' batting average has slipped to .224 in the playoffs, with a .641 OPS and averaging just 3.17 runs per game. Notable players are struggling for the Astros as Michael Brantley is hitting .217 in the playoffs, Kyle Tucker .167, Carlos Correa .136, George Springer .120 and Josh Reddick .100.
"We don't have time for frustration. This is a series that you just got to -- they threw the first punch Game 1. We get to the next day. We can punch right back tomorrow," Hinch said. "I don't think they're going to be too comfortable tomorrow coming to the ballpark thinking they've got an easy game ahead of themselves.
Related Content: Tanaka, Torres Too Much for Astros in Game 1
