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McCullers struggles, Astros bats go silent in Game 3 loss to Phillies
Nov 2, 2022, 12:01 am
It was a long night for Lance McCullers. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images.
When it rains, it pours. Boy did it pour. The Astros lost Game Three of the World Series 7-0 to the Phillies in Philadelphia. The game was supposed to be played on Halloween, but MLB decided to postpone the whole series by a day because of the rain. It must've been enough to throw off the Astros' momentum. The bats came out flat and stayed that way. Meanwhile, the pitching staff gave up a World Series record-tying five home runs in the blowout loss.
Bryce Harper got the action started with a two-run blast in the bottom of the first. Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh hit solo shots in the bottom of the third. Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth followed by a solo blast from Rhys Hoskins. The Phillies seemed to be sitting on Astros' starter Lance McCullers Jr's pitches. Either they knew the breaking stuff was coming or sat on the fastball. They shelled one of the Astros' best pitchers to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
The bats struck out seven times total. Chas McCormick and David Hensley each struck out twice. However, they also had a hit a piece, and those were two of the five hits this team managed in the game. So, there's that.
Another World Series appearance, another NL East opponent, another series deficit. The Astros have been here before. They were down in 2017, then came back and beat the Dodgers. No one wants them to win. Most of the media is still bringing up the sign stealing scandal. Opposing fans are relentlessly showering Astros' fans with cheating this and cheating that. The conspiracy theories abound. Misinformation is still very pervasive. I wouldn't have it any other way.
This team is resilient. They've had their backs against the wall before. They know how to come out swinging. Literally and figuratively. I expect Game Four to be an Astros win and the series tied 2-2 heading into the pivotal Game Five. Justin Verlander will take the mound, get his first World Series win, and this thing heads back to Minute Maid Park for Game Six with the home team up 3-2.
From there, closing out the series in front of the home crowd will be a fitting cap to proving all the haters wrong. This is a great team and a great organization. Jim Crane needs to bring James Click back and continue to allow him to build this thing. If Click isn't back, I hope Crane finds someone else who'll be able to keep thing rolling. That said. Let's focus on winning Game Four and quieting that raucous Philly crowd.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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