The Astros and Orioles were two of the most talented teams in baseball this year. Two games into the postseason, they’ve both been swept at home.
It’s been another unpredictable day of wild-card play Wednesday.
FOX Sports MLB writers Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar will be offering their top takeaways from all the action.
Astros’ rebuilt bullpen blows up in stunning fashion
At Minute Maid Park, there was a team that was poised, that was collected under pressure, that got the big hits and the big outs when they needed them most.
But it wasn’t the one seemingly equipped to handle those situations.
The Astros were playing in their eighth straight postseason. They had made the League Championship Series a record seven straight years and had played in more postseason games and racked up more playoff wins since the start of that run than any team in baseball. It began with AJ Hinch at the helm. After an unceremonious exit, the Detroit manager was now in the visitor’s dugout, leading a young and inexperienced group that defied the odds and caught fire at the right time.
The Tigers hadn’t made the playoffs in 10 years, had sold at the deadline and entered August with less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs. The average age of the Tigers lineup was a tick over 25. Only one player from that group, Matt Vierling, had any postseason experience before.
And yet, they were the group that looked composed in the highest-leverage moments. The pressure was all in the home dugout after the Tigers went into Houston and stole Game 1. And when the Astros’ offense finally made an appearance in Game 2, pushing the go-ahead run across in the seventh inning, it was the novice group that looked at ease.
Houston had won 47 straight playoff games when leading in the eighth inning or later. This year in particular featured a bullpen built to hold late leads. The Astros had awarded star closer Josh Hader a five-year, $95-million deal, giving them essentially two closers in Hader and Ryan Pressly to shut down opponents. There were cracks from the start. Hader and Pressly each had ERAs over 6.00 at the end of April. They settled in as the season went on, though neither was pristine. Pressly allowed runs in four straight appearances in August. Hader surrendered six runs in his last three appearances of the regular season. Still, the late innings figured to be a strength when the calendar turned to October. Hader didn’t allow a run in any of his five postseason appearances in San Diego last year. Pressly entered Game 2 with a streak of 20 consecutive postseason appearances without allowing an earned run.
On Wednesday, history and experience didn’t matter.
Pressly allowed the game-tying run on a wild pitch. Andy Ibañez, who had just six extra-base hits against fastballs all season, delivered the knockout blow on a sinker from Hader, one of the best fastball pitchers in the game.
So now the Tigers and their band of makeshift openers move on, the hottest team in the sport demonstrating that the last two months are no fluke. And the stunned Astros are left to wonder how many more runs are left with this group as Alex Bregman, one of the defining members of their nearly decade-long run, prepares to enter free agency. — Rowan Kavner
Royals wanted it more than Orioles
Is anyone actually surprised the Orioles went out with a whimper in the playoffs after stumbling through August and September? On the heels of a 1-for-7 showing with runners in scoring position in their Game 1 loss — all while Corbin Burnes delivered an eight-inning, one-run gem — the Orioles had to come out aggressive and energetic against Seth Lugo in an attempt to save their season. Instead, this was another feeble showing from the Baltimore offense, scoring just one run in 18 innings, unable even to capitalize with a rally when Lugo had so obviously lost his stuff in the fifth. In the end, Gunnar Henderson struck out swinging half-heartedly at two of Lucas Erceg’s changeups, his disposition like their season was already over before he even stepped up to the plate.
The lack of intensity and spirit from this still-young Baltimore team was the complete opposite of how Bobby Witt Jr.’s Royals advanced to the ALDS for the first time in almost a decade. The MVP-caliber shortstop will get plenty of love for his game-winning RBI single, but what stood out to me about Kansas City was the effort from its bullpen. Royals relievers combined to pitch 7 2/3 scoreless innings in the wild-card series, which was essential since their lineup only produced three runs in the two games. The relief corps’ excellence has played an enormous role in getting the Royals to this point.
Alas, that dominant pitching staff will face Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and the Yankees next. And, in the Bronx, there will be a lot more energy and intensity in their faces than there was this week at Camden Yards. — Deesha Thosar
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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