BSJ Game Report, ALCS Gm. 6: Astros 5, Red Sox 0 - Boston goes out with a 2-hit whimper

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' Game 6 loss to the Astros, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Red Sox bats don't show up again: Since taking a 2-1 lead over the Astros in the first inning of Game 4 and the series overall, Boston was outscored 22-1 and managed just six hits in the final 26 innings of the series. On Friday night, they were no-hit in the first four innings for the second-straight game, and managed just two in the deciding Game 6.

"I think it was halfway through Game 4, I felt that (the Astros pitchers) were changing, and they used the fastballs in different spots. Their righties. Especially their righties," said Alex Cora. "And we just weren't able to catch up with the fastball. They expanded, obviously, with the sliders. They always do that. But I do believe halfway through that game, we weren't able to catch up with the fastball, and that's why we didn't score runs."

The Red Sox were 0 for 17 with runners in scoring position in the final three games.

"I have been in a lot of postseason games. I have never seen 10 runs scored in a couple of games in a row, right?" said Kyle Schwarber, who was 0 for 12 himself the final three games. "You just got to be able to be realistic, and you have to tip your cap sometimes. The guys are good. They're paid the same way as we are. And it's frustrating, obviously, for us because we came out so well, and we came out really well throughout the whole postseason, and just got to tip your cap."

Best chance dashed with strikeout/throw-out double play to end 7th: It was a 2-0 game in the sixth inning when J.D. Martinez walked, and Alex Verdugo moved him to third with the Red Sox' second and final hit of the game and one out. Cora pinch-hit Travis Shaw for Christian Arroyo, and the count went full. Cora called for a steal, Shaw whiffed on a meaty fastball, and Verdugo was thrown out after a bad jump. Inning ended, best chance ended.

"I just bet on my players," said Cora. "3-2 count. We put the ball in play against a sinker-baller, we score one. (Martin Maldonado) threw like a 1.4 to second, whatever he did, and we didn't make contact, and he got thrown out. But that's one of those that it's a 3-2 count with a sinker-baller. We were trying to score one, and we felt that we had the right guy at first. The times were 1.6, 1.65, and it just mattered that their catcher just came out shooting and he made a perfect throw."

On to 2022: The manner in which the Red Sox ended their season will leave a bitter taste in their mouth, but Cora and the players enjoyed the ride.

"We had bigger goals, but to be honest with you, I'm very proud of the group," Cora said. "I mean, we started off well. Then we kind of ran out of gas for a little bit, and then we came back. And then at one point, we were going to play a four-team playoff, and we win the Wild Card game. We win the division series. We just got beat by a great group of guys, a great team. That's a really good team."

"For me, I think we're definitely disappointed right now," said Game 6 starter Nathan Eovaldi. "We obviously wanted to win this game and win the series and go on the to World Series. No one expected us to be here. We proved a lot of people wrong. We believed in ourselves as a team. We were able to overcome a lot of obstacles together and get to this point. I mean, obviously, the end goal is the World Series, but, you know, when you don't get there, you got to look back at the season and realize everything that we were able to accomplish. We were able to accomplish a lot of good things."

"Yeah, I mean, obviously, it's disappointment," said Schwarber. "At the end of the day, we're all competitors, and we all want to make it to the end goal. ... We fought, scratched, clawed to get our way into the playoffs, and, you know, then we went in the Wild Card. We played unbelievable going into the Division Series. Played unbelievable too. I thought we grinded our butts off through this series. It just didn't work out, but I think that the group should be very proud of themselves."

TURNING POINT 

The way the game played out, you could say it was the run the Astros plated in the first inning to take an early lead — in each game of the ALCS, the team that scored first went on to win the contest. But in reality it was Yordan Alvarez's scamper home with the second run in the sixth inning that made the lead, basically, insurmountable. It was first and third with no one out, and Kyle Tucker hit a scorcher to Schwarber at first. He tagged first, then Carlos Correa off the bag, but Alvarez made a good read and was able to beat the ball home on a possible triple play. 

"It was a very weird play," Schwarber said. "I mean, especially just with the situation where it's a one-run game, and you don't want that guy to score. You get the ball hit to you, and I got it. In the corner of my eye, I could see Correa go back to the bag, and when I caught the ball, I looked at third, and I thought I saw him pause. You know, just kind of stop. I was, like, okay, he is not going to go. That's when I kind of turned around, and that's when I went for the tag and the step on first. And then when I turned back around, obviously, he scored. If I could kind of do it all back, I wish that I could have just realized, you know, you have a little bit more time there just because Correa is coming back to the bag and you can see if Yordan is going to go home. Me, personally, I didn't want the run to score. I would rather keep the run from not scoring and having us work our way out from there."

SECOND GUESS

The way ALCS MVP Yordan Alvarez finished the series — 4 for 4 with two runs and an RBI in Game 6 — makes Cora's decision to not walk him the third time up against Chris Sale on Wednesday night look even worse. Like, horrible. Alvarez slashed .522/.538/.870 with six runs scored, 12 hits, three doubles, a triple, one home run, six RBI and 20 total bases to join David Ortiz as the only DH to win the award.

TWO UP 

Nathan Eovaldi: Deserved better as he scattered five hits and allowed one run over 4.1 innings. He had a stellar moment in the fourth that you hoped would wake up the Sox when he struck out the side with runners at second and third and the bases loaded, to no avail. "Nate was outstanding. We pitched well. We pitched well," Cora said.

Alex Verdugo: Was the only Sox batter to reach base twice, with a walk and a hit. His lead on the steal was, however, not good.

ONE DOWN

Top of the lineup: The Red Sox' first four batters combined to go 1 for 18. Totals for the final three games: Kiké Hernández, 2 for 13; Schwarber, 0 for 12; Rafael Devers, 3 for 11 including 0 for 2 Friday with runners in scoring position; Xander Bogaerts, 1 for 12; Martinez, 0 for 7.

QUOTE OF NOTE

"Having A.C. back at the top and guiding us this whole way, I think you see the difference from last year to this year. I mean, the group of guys we have, the good, solid core, it's coming back next year. We got a lot of things to look forward to, and I think having this bitter taste in our mouth is going to be good motivation again for next year coming forward." - Eovaldi.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• The Astros became the seventh team since the best-of-seven format was established in 1985 to face a 2-1 series deficit (or worse) and win the ALCS, joining the 2007 Red Sox; 2004 Red Sox; 1998 Yankees; 1995 Indians; 1986 Red Sox; and 1985 Royals. They joined the 1998 Yankees and 1995 Indians as the lone clubs to accomplish the feat in six games.
• The Astros are the first team to win three AL pennants across a five-year span since the Yankees reached the World Series in three-of-four years from 1999-2003 (excludes 2002 when the Angels won the ALCS).
• The Astros have plated 45 two-out runs in the 2021 postseason, tied for fourth-most in MLB Postseason history. Last year's World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers hold the MLB record with 59 two-out RBI, and are followed by the 2004 Red Sox (46) and 1997 Indians (46). In the ALCS, the Astros have tallied 27 two-out runs, the most in a single series in postseason history.

UP NEXT

Dec. 5-9: MLB’s annual Winter Meetings are scheduled to take place in San Diego.