Missed Opportunities in Game 4 Put Houston's Season On the Brink

The game was winnable for the Astros. They nearly won it. But crucial at bats proved fruitless, setting them back 3–1 in the World Series.

ATLANTA — Dusty Baker heaved himself into a chair in the early hours of Sunday morning, fresh off another defeat, and tried to explain what has happened to his erstwhile juggernaut. The Astros fell 3–2 in Game 4 of the World Series, the third time in four tries that the most lethal offense in the sport has been held to two runs or fewer, leaving them one loss away from winter.

“They say good pitching beats good hitting, and then when you don't hit, they say, what's wrong?” he said. “And they've been pitching good against us. They've been pitching great against us.”

Houston boasts good hitters, but you wouldn’t know it if you just tuned in this week. The Astros led the majors in runs per game (5.33), batting average (.267) and plate appearances per strikeout (5.15) this season. In the World Series, those figures are 2.75, .206 and 4.11. They are 4 for 31 with runners in scoring position.

They lost Game 1 of the World Series to a dude with one leg. They lost Game 3 to a parade of relievers who didn’t know they had a no-hitter until it was gone. They lost Game 4 to a guy who made two major league appearances this year, was demoted to Triple A with a 9.95 ERA and was not called back up until Tuesday.

The Astros’ season resides on the brink largely because of that last one. Game 4 was winnable. Indeed, they nearly won it. Atlanta, short on pitching after Charlie Morton broke his right fibula in Game 1, started Dylan Lee, who has two innings of major league experience. He faced four batters and recorded one out. There was action in the bullpen after three pitches. On came Kyle Wright, he of the 9.95 ERA, to face Carlos Correa—the eighth best hitter in the American League this year by WAR—and Kyle Tucker—the 15th best—with the bases loaded. Correa grounded to third to drive in a run. Tucker struck out.

That was a missed opportunity. Another came in the third, with the Astros up one and the bases loaded with two outs. Baker let pitcher Zack Greinke hit for himself. It was the most crucial at bat of the game. Greinke grounded to second. Two innings later, up two runs with runners on the corners and two outs, Baker pinch-hit Marwin Gonzalez against a righty. A switch-hitter, Gonzalez is a capable hitter against lefthanders, when he's batting from the right side. Against righties, he is the worst hitter in the sport, with a .521 OPS. Gonzalez popped to left.

“You only have so many choices,” Baker said afterward.

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He has very few. He was saving infielder Aledmys Díaz, by far his best bench bat, for later in the game. Center fielder Jose Siri has some pop but needs to be available to pinch run. Baker does not seem to trust left fielder Chas McCormick. Catcher Jason Castro entered COVID-19 protocols before Game 4; his replacement, Garrett Stubbs, has a career batting average of .182. The bench is so shallow that it’s possible that Baker’s mistake wasn’t letting Greinke hit for himself in the third, but hitting for him in the fifth.

Still, the Houston starters own four batting titles, 14 All-Star selections, an MVP award and two Rookie of the Year awards. This isn’t the fault of the backups.

Correa is hitting .143 in the World Series. Second baseman Jose Altuve is hitting .222, even after his single and home run on Saturday provided Houston’s only runs. Third baseman Alex Bregman, who hits third, has looked so lost—he is 1 for 14—that Baker is considering dropping him in the lineup.

“[Bregman is] preparing every single day to try to do his best out there,” said Correa. “I saw him hit four times today. I was kind of mad at him because he was hogging the cage, but the guy’s putting in the work. He’s trying to fix it. Same with me. I’m putting in the work. I hit three times today in the cage, trying to figure it out. We didn’t hit outside because of the rain. It’s baseball. Sometimes it’s tough.”

He dismissed the idea that the Astros are struggling because they are unfamiliar with Atlanta’s pitchers.

“They’re in the same boat as us and they’ve figured out a way to win three games so far,” said Correa.

Indeed, the Astros have pitched well. They have held Atlanta to six runs, then two, then two, then three. They are striking out nearly 12 Atlanta batters per nine innings. On Saturday, one of their most reliable relievers, Cristian Javier, made two mistakes: He left a fastball in the middle of the plate for Dansby Swanson, and he hung a slider to Jorge Soler. Both hitters clobbered them for home runs. That was the difference.

Baker omitted the end of Pirates pitcher Bob Veale’s famous line. “Good pitching always beats good hitting,” Veale said. “And vice versa.”