Texas Rangers Must Respond, Beat Houston Astros Twice on Road
It's win or go home quite literally for the Texas Rangers as they head south to Minute Maid Park.
And everyone inside the Rangers clubhouse knows while the Houston Astros have two chances to return to the World Series for the fifth time in eight years, Texas has two chances to stay alive and end baseball's current championship reign with a bang.
“They’ve done a great job of bouncing back all year,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said following Friday's 5-4 loss in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. “And I’m confident they will. It’s just a tough one. There is no getting around it. It’s part of the game and what you have to deal with. Good clubs deal with it the right way, and these guys, they’ll put it behind them.”
The sense of emptiness isn't new for Rangers fans. It's lingered for five decades. It peaked in 2011 with two outs in the ninth and a ball just over the head of Nelson Cruz.
Texas Rangers Adolis García rounds first base following a three-run home run in Game 5 of the American Championship Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas
Now it's on to the next game. The Rangers were three outs from a 3-2 edge. Instead, it's the other guys on top.
Struggling right-hander Framber Valdez will take the mound for the Astros in Game 6. Playoff wizard Nathan Eovaldi, who pulled a Houdini with the bases loaded in a 5-4 win in Game 2, gets the ball for Texas.
This version of the Rangers hasn't been here before. Two years ago, Texas was losing 100 games. Now, this no-quit roster continues to defy the odds, sweeping Tampa Bay and Baltimore to secure a spot against their in-state rival for a shot at the Fall Classic.
In most seasons, this would be enough. Getting this far in the playoffs and making it a contest against the defending champions usually would suffice.
But Texas had its shot in Game 5. Jordan Montgomery and Nathaniel Lowe kept the Rangers close.
And then came Adolis García. The team's emotional leader gave Houston fans something to talk about in the sixth inning, sending a no-doubt three-run blast over the left field wall against Justin Verlander. Texas had a 4-2 lead, its first since returning home.
Pandemonium at Globe Life Field. The bomb heard around the Lone Star State. Here comes Texas. Get out of the way or get run over.
That's how it was supposed to be headed to Houston.
Then, right on cue at the climax of a hit blockbuster, came Jose Altuve with two on and no out. Even José Leclerc, who's been exactly what the doctor ordered this postseason for Texas, had to sense this nightmare was about to become a reality.
A three-run homer, three road wins secured and a sense of momentum heading back to Houston with the 'Stros.
“I’ve never been so frustrated on the field,” second baseman Marcus Semien said. “It’s a well-played game and a big swing by them once again."
Game 6 will arrive with baggage. Tempers will be well over flaring after the benches cleared in the eighth following García being hit by a pitch from reliever Bryan Abreu.
And it'll come from more than just players. Fans have to be enraged with Astros manager Dusty Baker pulling out the old-school move of a long-winded rant after being ejected that might have lessened Leclerc's arm and saved the Astros' season.
Leclerc said the timing didn't affect him leaving one low for Altuve to send long. Bochy, however, disagreed.
"It was taking too long, to be honest," said Bochy. "The whole thing is a bunch of crap, to be honest, what happened there."
Hope shouldn't be lost for Texas, especially after the first two games at Juice Box. The Rangers out-hit Houston 14-11 and plated six runs off its starters. Verlander won't be available until at least Tuesday in Game 7. Even then, he may give the Astros what, an inning?
Thirty pitches max?
History bodes well in favor of Texas securing the AL pennant for the first time in over a decade. Teams taking a 2-0 lead in all best-of-seven postseason series have gone on to win that series 75 of 89 times (84%). Of the 14 teams that defied the odds, only two have done so since the turn of the century.
Of course, it's still the Astros — the Thanos of Major League Baseball. They're inevitable until proven otherwise.
Texas has to be the enforcer Sunday night.
After all, it's win or go home.
“It’s up to us to respond," Semien said. "That’s all I got.”
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