[Unofficial 2017 ALCS] New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros

I would just go back to what worked, games 1 and 2 against Boston. Gattis cleanup behind Correa, Reddick 6th, Yuli 7 Marwin 8. Keep it simple, stupid. That kinda thing

 

Speaking of guys that need to step up. Reddick doesn't have a single hit this series.

And considering he has spent most of his time hitting 2nd, directly in front of Altuve and Correa... that's a major problem.

 

I'm ok with Beltran speaking to the players because at least he's been through many playoff battles. He's been to the World Series. He's also been in a League Championship Series(as a member of the Astros, no less) that went 7 games and saw the home team win every game. Yes, he's been dogsh-t in the ALCS, but so have a lot of the hitters. At least he can communicate to his teammates from his own experience that it ain't over til it's over.

I think pulling McCullers was a mistake, but it's not Hinch's fault that Devo, Musgrove, and Giles were all garbage within the same game. You're not gonna get to the World Series(much less win it) if you don't at least trust the reliable guys in your bullpen. The problem in this series outside of the relievers' collective meltdown in Game 4 is the offense, plain and simple. Even in the 2 wins, the hitters have been awful. In a way, we should consider ourselves fortunate the series isn't over already and we still have Game 6 at home with Verlander on the mound.

 

Everyone looking for blame. To my eyes, number one is plate approach.

 

Absolutely agree. Watching pitches go by..good pitches...not being aggressive at all. Stringing together one poor at bat after another. They're way too tight.

 

Something mentally is going on with this group. Like a deer in headlights. It just doesn't make sense why. I know baseball can be mental but damn.

My worry is if Verlander actually gives up a run in the first tomorrow that we will press so much that we end up getting shut out again. What we need is a 1 2 3 from JV and then a lead off Springer Dinger to break the log jam.

 

It makes sense to me in that most of this lot hasn't been this far before. They have let emotion and adrenaline move them away from how they perform best.

 

"From what I've seen, it just seems like we're trying to do way too much in the box. Everybody's trying to be the one guy who can put the team on their back with one swing"

We all saw that 3 games ago Reddick...

 

Yankees are younger than us, and for many of them it's their first postseason.

Every Astro except Musgrove, Bregman, and Giles have playoffs experi. Gurriel is 30-something.

CLEARLY the Astros are CHOKING.

F****** pansies

 

OK here are my thoughts after calming down a bit from another embarrassing game ...

1) In yesterday's game, the biggest AB of the game, and possibly the season, came with Yuli on 3rd and 1 out. And we had our most consistent hitter, Carlos Freaking Beltran at the plate. Unfortunately, he has been consistently bad. Yes he had a rough strike zone, but the bottom line is he failed. I believe the contact play should have been on, but whatever. If we get that run there and go up 1-0, it eases the tension on our team. We hit looser, pitch looser, and unfortunately, not getting the run in made an already tight team even play even tighter. Granted another batter may not have succeeded, but we had one of the least likely to succeed options out there, and that is on Hinch. And no, I don't think he should be fired

2) It seems like a lot of the team was taking a regular season approach to hitting yesterday. Taking pitches early, trying to work the count, try to get the starter's pitch count up to get to the bullpen. I can recall a good number of Tanaka's mistakes came on the first pitch. He left several balls hanging and up in the zone and our batters just took them for strike one. I don't know about you guys, but I don't care about getting to the Yankee pen. We need to be aggressive early in the count, and I don't care if we allow him to get out of the inning in 7 pitches if we are going after those early pitches to hit. For numerous batters, that first pitch was the only pitch they even had a chance to hit hard in the whole AB.

 

Exactly what i think, something has to go right so they get their confidence back. Springer almost did that last game with his first at bat.

 

I'd thought about that. But one factor in the Yankees favor is they had to play 4 elimination games in the wild card matchup and first round. Making it through that builds toughness and character. The Stros really didn't have to deal with that vs the Red Sox. Game 4 in Boston certainly had a lot riding on it(there's a reason Hinch rolled the dice on Verlander in relief), but it wasn't a do-or-die situation. And if you consider Games 3, 4, and 5 must wins for New York(maybe not literally, but practically speaking), then this is now 7 straight games where they've had to respond and they've done so.

Game 6 tomorrow will really be the first time the Astros are faced with the situation the Yankees have been dealing with for almost the entire postseason. As important as Game 5 was, it still wasn't a true must win since they always knew in the back of their minds that the Yankees still have to win a game at Minute Maid Park. We'll see if they do in fact choke or if they've got the same mental fortitude the Yankees have shown thus far.

 

Exactly. They didn't care about working counts all season. I don't know why that changed.

 

Blame it on the bullpen in game 4. It gave the Yankees the believe and took it away from us. It was proven in yesterday's game...we looked like a beaten team and the Yankee was playing to win. We still have a chance but now the odds not look great for us. It feels a lot like 2015 and the Royals come back on us.

 

2015 Astros were basically this year's Yankees -- they lost.

This year's Dodgers are beating everyone's ass without needing "must wins". They're playing a team (Cubs) that just survived a tough series.

We'll see what happens games 6 and 7, but it appears HOU can't win regardless its circumstance.

 

Can someone on the Astros ask the league to inspect Todd Frazier's bats?? The amount of deflection his bat is able to withstand, combined with how the ball is just jumping off is fishy. Perhaps it's the same bat he used in the HR Derby a couple of years ago.

By the way, I'm only partially being tongue in cheek here.

 

http://www.chron.com/sports/astros/...pen-letter-to-the-12290237.php?ipid=happening

In desperate times, we take strength from anywhere we can find it.

So perhaps more than we should have, many in Houston found a small bit of strength when our Astros – a group of men who, in many cases, have few other ties to our city than an apartment to keep their belongings – returned home for the first time after Hurricane Harvey with the words "Houston Strong" on their chests.


From that day until this day, you've worn those words over your hearts like a badge.

But for those in Houston still rebuilding our lives one moment and one piece of drywall at a time, "Houston Strong" isn't just a slogan or a rallying cry.

"Houston Strong" is our burden.

Houston is strong not because it comes easy, but because it is who we have to be.

True strength is often revealed in our worst and weakest moments. Harvey showed us that about our Houston.


When the floods rose above our doorsteps, the strong gathered those who mattered to them and waded out into the water - not because they knew what was ahead, but because they knew it was the only direction forward.

When a needful hand reached out, the strong grabbed hold and carried it, not because they knew they could save it, but because the strong understood that lifting each other up was the only way to keep us all from being pulled down.

And when the strong returned home to see all they had built had been destroyed, the strong saw beyond what was lost to what could be rewon.

Now is your time to be Houston Strong, Astros – not because it will come easy, but because it is who you are because that is who you have to be.


Wade forward into the waters.

You'll find your city reaching out to lift you up.

You'll find that all you have lost can also be rewon.

Astros in seven.

- Your fans.

Houston Chronicle senior producer for audience John Boyd unapologetically bleeds orange at @JohnnyNewsroom on Twitter.

 

I just had MLB check into it. Their response was "Yankees get to do what they want. See: Fans touching balls in play."

 

I've simmered down some.

2-3-2 is trash

Verlander on 4 days rest so I like our chances tomorrow. Just win and extend it to 7 where it will be anyone's game. Protect home-field!

 

Isn't that why we signed Beltran for 16 million and brought in McCann? If so they have not done their job.