(SportsRadio 610) -- After Jose Altuve's throwing errors in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, Astros manager Dusty Baker admitted his shock.
Altuve had not committed offenses like these all season, and here it was in the biggest moment, and costly.
The first throwing error, which first baseman Yuli Gurriel should share the blame, kept the first inning alive and was followed by Rays outfielder Manuel Margot hitting a three-run homer that was the difference in the game.
"You just hope he doesn't get the yips," Baker said after the Astros lost 4-2 to the Rays, who now lead the series 2-0. "Invariably, they come in bunches. Everything comes in bunches -- errors, hits, homers, everything. I just told him to flush it. This guy's been awesome for us. You've got to flush it and move on."
The Astros squandered Lance McCullers Jr.'s performance -- 11 strikeouts and four hits in seven innings pitched. Unfortunately, two of those hits were home runs, and one of them happened after Altuve and Gurriel should have ended the inning.
McCullers expressed support for Altuve after the game, calling him the team's heartbeat and staple in the organization for so many years.
"It just kind of sucks. I really wanted to pick him up there and I wish we were talking about something different," McCullers said. "He is a helluva player and I think he understands how much we support him."
