Pitching wins, the Astros lose
Game one of the ALCS fell right into the style that the Rays want to play. This game became a pitching duel with the final score being 2-1. The starting pitching lines don’t blow anyone away. Snell went 5 innings, 1 earned run with only 2 strikeouts while Valdez hurled 6 innings, 2 earned runs with 8 strikeouts. Yet, we saw how the Rays were not only able to stay in the game but bring in a bullpen to preserve the lead.
The ALCS is giving us an unknown team that has become a favorite in the baseball world in Tampa Bay. On the other side, we see a team that is hated among the baseball world in the Houston Astros. Jose Altuve rocketed a home run to take the early 1-0 lead. A strike that made any fan fears that the Astros were poised to take the game and the ALCS.
The Rays were down early but not out
After the first inning, Blake Snell clamped down and started forcing the Astros into hapless swings. Snell wasn’t forcing many swings and misses, hence only 2 strikeouts. Rather, he was dealing off-speed pitches forcing the Astros hitters into weak swings and easy outs.
The fourth inning was when we saw a response from Tampa Bay. Randy Arozarena has been the hottest Rays hitter this postseason and the casual baseball fan has likely taken notice. Arozarena took an outside offering from Valdez and off the end of the bat. The swing still powered the ball over the center-field wall. The fact that he failed to get the sweet spot of the bat yet hit the ball to the deepest spot in the ballpark is a feat of strength that must be appreciated. It was Arozarena’s fourth home run of the postseason and the momentum swing. The game now became a battle of bullpens, take a guess which team has the advantage there.
In a battle of bullpens, small-ball and great fielding decides the game
It became a battle that gave off the impression that whoever would score next would ultimately win the game. This is where we can give our respect to the Rays management and their ability to build a shutdown bullpen. Any reliever can pitch at any time in any situation. The Rays’ relievers were able to hold the Astros lineup, a lineup that averaged 8.75 runs in the Divisional Series, to zero runs over 4 innings.
One can argue that the biggest mistake Dusty Baker made in the game was not turning to his bullpen earlier. The fifth inning was when we saw Valdez, who made little mistakes on the night, surrender the go-ahead run. It felt almost perfect for the winning run to be scored on a base hit with a runner in scoring position to end a low-scoring Game One. Mike Zunino was able to wrap around an outside pitch and pull it into the crease in the Astros shift. The floating line drive was just beyond the reach of Jose Altuve and dropped in for a run batted in.
Great pitching and outstanding defense would naturally decide a low-scoring game like this one. The top of the eighth inning saw the Astros load the bases with only one out. Diego Castillo was able to force Yuli Gurriel into a chopper up the middle. A chopper up the middle would usually result in a base hit (for at least 130 years) but the Rays played the shift perfectly. Brandon Lowe was able to bounce over the shortstop side of second base, scoop up the ball, brush second base, and fire it over the first to end the inning and essentially the game. With the Rays out of the jam, Diego Castillo was able to handle the Astros rather quickly in the ninth to end the game. The Rays are aware that the ALCS is far from over but they know that this start is pivotal against a team like Houston.
