Houston Astros Even World Series With Game 2 Victory Over Phillies
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HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros needed Saturday evening's win badly. Heading into a three-game stretch in Philadelphia down 0-2 in the World Series is not a recipe for success.
It wouldn't have been a death sentence, but the odds would not have been favorable.
Luckily for the Astros, they don't have to worry about that, thanks in large part to a masterclass performance from starter Framber Valdez.
For 6.1 innings, Valdez allowed just one run on four hits, with the runner scoring after he had left the game and gave way to Rafael Montero in the seventh.
His breaking ball was put away pitch, the spin and movement on it baffled the Philadelphia Phillies lineup all evening, as evidenced by his nine strikeouts.
Valdez stepped up when his team needed him most and ensured that Houston now enters Game 3 with a win under their belt.
He didn't do it alone though.
Once again, his offense was able to produce runs, three right off the bat in the first inning. Phillies starter Zack Wheeler, in his first four pitches of the game, gave up three doubles and two runs.
After the first inning, the Astros held a 3-0 lead, reminiscent of the previous evening in Game 1. However, instead of a miraculous comeback by the Phillies, Houston kept their foot on the pedal and never allowed Philadelphia back in the game.
In the fifth inning, third baseman Alex Bregman made his presence known in the World Series. Always the big-game player, Bregman launched a two-run home run to right field, getting every part of the ball on the bat to unleash a no-doubter.
"To be able to add some insurance was huge," Bregman said. "Especially against another great team that we're playing. Yeah, in all honesty though, this is probably the most fun I ever had playing baseball."
Fun indeed, that home run gave Houston a 5-0 lead. Again, an eerily similar trajectory to the previous evening.
It wasn't until the seventh inning that the Phillies truly threatened. A leadoff double from Nick Castellanos looked to be a promising start, especially considering the right fielder's recent struggles at the dish.
Third baseman Alec Bohm moved Castellanos to third while grounding out to shortstop Jeremy Peña. With second baseman Jean Segura due up and Castellanos on third, manager Dusty Baker turned to his bullpen for the first time on the evening, marking the end of Valdez's night.
Montero gave up a sacrifice fly to Segura, scoring Castellanos, and accounting for the lone earned run on Valdez's Game 2 pitching line.
After getting Matt Vierling to lineout to Bregman, the Phillies threat came to an end, the wind taken out of the sails, and all of the momentum firmly in the Astros' court.
Philadelphia, ever the scrappy squad, would not just go quietly. In the ninth with two outs, the Phillies were able to start a small rally and score another run. Bohm hit a one-out double and eventually reached home when centerfielder Brandon Marsh reached second on an error by first baseman Yuli Gurriel.
But that was it, because Ryan Pressly was able to lockdown the rest of the ninth and end the game.
5-2.
It was an all around excellent performance from the Astros. The offense clicked, the bullpen had 2.2 strong innings and Valdez looked every bit the ace.
It was the perfect combination to cool off the red-hot Phillies, the importance of which can't be understated as they head to Philadelphia to play in one of the most hostile postseason environments at Citizens Bank Park.
Houston is right where they need to be.
For more on the Philadelphia Phillies, go check out our coverage over at Inside the Phillies!
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