Red Sox Postseason: Three reasons to blame for ALCS Game 1 loss
The Boston Red Sox loss in Game 1 of the ALCS to the Houston Astros boils down to three main factors that cost them the game.
It’s hard to say that Game 1 in a best-of-seven series is a must-win yet it sure feels like the Boston Red Sox are letting the ALCS slip away by losing the opener in their own ballpark.
Not only have they surrendered home-field advantage, Boston is now forced to rely on a pitcher with a history of postseason failure to keep them from falling into a 0-2 hole before heading to Houston. You can never count a team out after what we witnessed in 2004 but that was a once in a lifetime comeback.
We can’t look at one particular moment that decided a 7-2 game but the final score undersells how close Game 1 was – or at least should have been. Four of those Houston runs came on a pair of home runs allowed by Brandon Workman, who wouldn’t have been pitching in the ninth inning had the previous eight innings gone differently.
There are three factors that put the Red Sox in that position. Change the outcome of at least one of these reasons and we probably see Craig Kimbrel closing out the ninth instead of one of the weaker links in the bullpen putting the game out of reach.
Control Issues
Game 1 got out of control in large part due to the pitching staff losing control of the strike zone. The Red Sox pitching staff issued 10 walks, tying the major league record for a nine-inning postseason game. They also hit three batters, two of whom scored.
It starts with Chris Sale. The lefty wasn’t in ace-caliber form early in the game, accounting for four of those walks in only four innings. His velocity was down again, hovering between 89-93 mph in the first inning, and he consistently missed with his slider. Perhaps most concerning of all is that he wasn’t getting swings and misses in those first two innings.
Maybe his shoulder is still bothering him or he may have had trouble getting loose in the cold weather. Regardless of the reason, this was not the Chris Sale we know. He settled down to retire the final five batters he faced but it was too little, too late. His early struggles racked up his pitch count, ending Sale’s night after four innings and 86 pitches.
As poorly as Sale pitched, home plate umpire James Hoye did him no favors. Hoye’s strike zone was maddeningly inconsistent all night, with seemingly every borderline call going against the Red Sox. In some cases it wasn’t even a questionable call, it was flat out wrong.
I don't really care what the catcher's doing. Ball two? pic.twitter.com/6yGwfPCeVr
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) October 14, 2018
Granted, Christian Vazquez was crossed up on that second pitch and umpires often won’t call a strike when the pitcher misses by that much. But this pitch was right down the middle! Joe Kelly got Tyler White to pop out in that at-bat so no harm done but this goes to show one of the more egregious calls that went against Boston.
The umpires were awful in this game but they weren’t the reason why the Red Sox lost. Still, it made it all the more frustrating to watch. We also can’t help but wonder, if Sale hadn’t been robbed on a few close calls then he may have lasted longer in this game. That potentially changes everything.
Nunez’ Defense
Remember when we were concerned about the defense of inexperienced third baseman Rafael Devers costing the Red Sox a playoff game? It turns out it’s Eduardo Nunez we should have been worried about.
The first three runs scored by the Astros can all be pinned on the poor defense of Nunez.
George Springer put Houston on the board with a base hit to drive in a pair of runs against Sale in the second inning. The hard hit ball was correctly ruled a base hit but might as well have been viewed as an error with the ball rolling right under the glove of Nunez.
8,500 people back home got LOUD for Springer's RBIs!#NeverSettle https://t.co/CqQxfQuw83
— Houston Astros (@astros) October 14, 2018
This isn’t to say that this was an easy play but an average third baseman should make that play. At the very least, you have to knock that ball down to keep it in the infield so that only one run scores.
Nunez was charged with an error on a routine ground ball in the sixth inning. He fielded the ball cleanly on a hop, then simply dropped it on the transfer. Instead of an easy double play that would have wiped Alex Bregman off the base paths, a Carlos Correa base hit ended up driving in Bregman to break at 2-2 tie.
It’s not as if Nunez was making up for these mistakes with his bat, going 0-for-3 with a walk in Game 1. His defense makes him a liability. Maybe Devers isn’t any better in the field but at least he has the power to change the game with his bat.
Timely Hitting
The best offense in baseball struggled to put up runs against the league’s best pitching staff. Boston managed a measly three hits in Game 1 and were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
The Red Sox scored only two runs, one of which came on a bases loaded walk and the other on a wild pitch. They had Justin Verlander on the ropes in the fifth inning and let him off the hook.
Verlander was starting to unravel, walking three consecutive batters to load the bases for Mookie Betts. This was a moment where Betts had an opportunity to show the world why he’s the front-runner for the AL MVP. Instead, he grounded out on the first pitch. Betts is an aggressive hitter, a mentality preached by manager Alex Cora all season. Still, why are you swinging at the first pitch against a pitcher struggling to throw strikes?
Andrew Benintendi‘s chance to cash in on Boston’s best opportunity to break the game open ended with a called third strike. The 97 mph heater from Verlander tailed away toward the outer edge of the zone. Benny thought it was ball four and was furious to find he had been rung up. Cora voiced his appeal from the dugout and was ejected for arguing.
It was a borderline call that may have caught the corner of the zone. As Dennis Eckersley would say, as a pitcher, you “gotta have it!” The problem is that the Astros were getting that same outside pitch called for a ball when Sale was on the mound. The lack of consistency was infuriating. Even if pitch trackers show it was technically a strike, you can understand why Benintendi and Cora were so upset. That pitch hadn’t been a strike all night.
Next. 5 Red Sox players who need to step up in ALCS. dark
Boston wouldn’t put a runner in scoring position the rest of the game. There weren’t many opportunities for timely hitting but when they were presented with those chances the Red Sox couldn’t come through.