All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' Game 5 loss to the Astros, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Red Sox are in trouble: After slamming their way to a 2-1 series lead, the Red Sox head back to Houston knowing they need to win two games at Minute Maid Park to extend their season after getting drubbed for the second-straight night, 7-1.
"You take it one day at a time, of course, cliché-wise," Alex Cora said. "We got to win the next game, and it's not the first time we've been in this situation that is a must-win. We did it in 162, and we did it in the Wild Card game. Instead of seeing that there's two games, let's take care of game one. We've done it before. You take care of that one, and then you move forward to the next one. We'll be ready for the next one. We'll be ready. We'll make adjustments and play better."
Talk about a role reversal. The Red Sox put up 21 runs in Games 2 and 3 while they ran their MLB postseason record for consecutive games with 10-plus hits to six games. Since? The Red Sox totaled three runs and eight hits in the past two games.
The pitching has also let the Red Sox down, especially in relief of Nick Pivetta (Tuesday) and Chris Sale (Wednesday). Boston relievers have combined for 7.2 innings in which they've allowed 18 hits, 13 runs, nine earned runs and seven walks.
Cora's decision on Alvarez in sixth will linger: In the sixth inning and the Astros leading just 1-0, Yordan Alvarez came to the plate with runners on second and third, and one out. Against Chris Sale, Alvarez already homered for the game's only run, and he singled in his second at-bat. Instead of intentionally walking Alvarez and allowing either Sale (2 Ks at that point) or Ryan Brasier to face Carlos Correa with the bases loaded, Cora stuck with Sale the lefty-on-lefty matchup. It backfired. Sale allowed a two-run double on his 87th pitch and by the end of the frame, the Astros had scored three more runs for a commanding 6-0 lead.
"No, no, we didn't think about walking him there," Cora said. "We thought about making pitches. We were supposed to go up, and he left it over the plate, and he went the other way.
"He was throwing the ball great. There was some weak contact throughout the night. He was in command. The walk put us in that place, but then we didn't make a play. Then Bregman hits a comebacker to the pitcher, and Alvarez hits a hit.
"Sometimes we get caught up too much on third time through the order. He was throwing the ball great. The stuff was really good. He was throwing 97 with a good slider."
Brasier, by the way, struck out Correa when he relieved Sale.
Red Sox shut down by Valdez: Houston starter Framber Valdez, who lasted just 2.2 innings in allowing three runs on six hits in Game 1, was stellar in this one as he went eight innings and allowed just three hits while throwing 93 pitches (62 strikes).
"I think their guy was amazing," said Cora. "He was throwing harder than usual. The ball was moving. We didn't hit the ball hard at all. I think we had two fly balls, if I'm not mistaken, and a home run, right? Credit to him. His sinker was unreal tonight. Unreal. You tip your hat to him and you move forward."
TURNING POINT/SECOND-GUESS
The decision not to intentionally walk Alvarez and try for the double-play ball against Correa changed the entire game and the series. For a manager who had never been short with his hook to get into matchups in his Boston career, Cora's decision to stick with Sale was puzzling on multiple levels.
"I understand how people think, but there were two lefties coming up too in that pocket, right?" Cora said. "Brantley, who he did an amazing job early on, and we had Alvarez. Still he is who he is, but he is Chris Sale. He is a lefty. He has made a living getting lefties out. You got to tip your hat to the kid, to the guy. He didn't try to do too much on that first pitch with man on second and third, and he goes the other way. I was getting ready for the guy after Alvarez. We went there, and they put the ball in play, we didn't make plays, and that happened."
TWO UP
Rafael Devers: Had two of Boston's three hits and its only run. He's batting .325 in the postseason. Devers became the fourth player in MLB history (Mickey Mantle, Albert Pujols, Carlos Correa) to hit eight postseason home runs before turning 25.
Chris Sale: Up until the Alvarez double, he had given the Red Sox all they could want and more. Cora should have removed him and his night would have looked a lot better.
THREE DOWN
Hunter Renfroe: Grounded into two more double plays to give him five for this postseason. The one in the fifth was especially egregious with runners on first and second and no one out. It looked like the wheels were about to come off Alvarez after he hit J.D. Martinez and ran the count to 2-0 on Renfroe. But his bouncer to short killed another possible rally. Renfroe is now hitting .071 in the postseason.
"I think (the) 2-0 count he tried to do too much on that pitch, right?" Cora said. "We had two runners on, and just the fastball -- actually, it was a good pitch to hit; it was up in the zone, one of the few. He flew open, and hit the ball on the ground, and rolled over. It's one of those that obviously we didn't like it, but this is a guy that throughout the season he has done an amazing job, and he has played great defense for us. He has been good offensively."
Kyle Schwarber: Went 0 for 4 to drop his postseason average to .143 and he dropped a throw at first for an error in the fateful sixth inning.
Ryan Brasier: Came on and struck out Correa, but then allowed three straight hits to plate three more runs and effectively end the game.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We won three games in Houston in 2018. We need to win two, so why not this year too? I think they have a great team, but I like my team. I don't doubt my team." — Christian Vazquez.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- This is the 21st ALCS to go six games since 1985. Only five teams who trailed 3-2 went on to the World Series: 1985 Royals, 1986 Red Sox, 2004 Red Sox, 2017 Astros.
- Valdez, 27, became the youngest pitcher to deliver at least 8.0 innings of one-run ball or less in postseason game since Madison Bumgarner did it in the 2016 NL wild-card game.
- Astros have scored 39 two-out runs this postseason, the sixth-most in MLB history.
UP NEXT
ALCS Game 6 is at 8:08 p.m. Friday at Minute Maid Park in Houston and will likely feature RHP Nathan Eovaldi (11-9, 3.75 ERA/2-1, 5.51) vs. TBD for Houston.
Game 7: 8:08 p.m. Saturday, Houston.*
*-In necessary.