Justin Verlander struggles on short rest as Houston's offense struggles
Astros playoff report presented by APG&E: Astros lose ALDS Game 4 against the Rays to force a Game 5
Oct 8, 2019, 9:57 pm
Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
Justin Verlander leaves ALDS Game 4 after a disappointing start
After dropping Game 3 to the Rays to force a Game 4, the Astros trusted their ace, Justin Verlander, with the ball on short rest to try and shut the door on Tampa Bay and advance to the ALCS to face the Yankees. Things would not go as planned, with the Rays once again extending the series by beating Houston 4-1 to send the series to a decisive Game 5 in Houston to decide the series. Here is a recap of Tuesday's Game 4:
Final Score: Rays 4, Astros 1.
Series: tied 2-2.
Winning Pitcher: Ryan Yarbrough.
Losing Pitcher: Justin Verlander.
Verlander just didn't have it
Justin Verlander was not himself on Tuesday night. Whether it be the result of short rest or merely a bad day on the mound, he would get bumped around by the Rays in the early stages of ALDS Game 4. Most of the damage came in the bottom of the very first inning, where Verlander would watch a changeup get turned around for a solo home run to put Tampa Bay ahead 1-0.
The start @RaysBaseball was hoping for. #ALDS pic.twitter.com/vfxm2xfM1Z
— MLB (@MLB) October 8, 2019
The Rays would go on to score two more runs that inning as Verlander would be uncharacteristically out of command, finishing a 32-pitch first inning with a 3-0 deficit. He would return and continue to complete three and two-thirds innings, but not before allowing another solo homer, which extended Tampa Bay's lead to 4-0. Although he had no run support behind him, which was a problem in itself, Verlander would have a disappointing and forgettable day on the mound. His final line: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 2 HR.
Houston can't break the Tropicana Field curse
No matter what Verlander did or didn't do, his offense did him no favors. Jose Altuve did his part with a leadoff single in the top of the fourth to try and get a spark on offense. Yordan Alvarez followed with a one-out double to the center-field wall, nearly scoring Altuve, but two perfect throws had him out at the plate, keeping Houston off the board.
They would continue to be shutout through most of the game; hitting into double plays and bad luck along the way to extend their struggles at Tropicana Field. Robinson Chirinos would finally get the Astros on the board with a two-out solo home run in the top of the eighth, cutting the lead to three runs at 4-1. That's as close as they would come in the loss.
Strong showing for the bullpen
As far as Houston's bullpen, they performed well starting with Josh James, who would finish the fourth for Verlander by getting the final out of that frame. Then, the Astros turned to Jose Urquidy to try and eat up some innings and keep the game a four-run deficit. He would provide one and two-thirds innings, getting two outs into the bottom of the sixth before Houston turned to Ryan Pressly to get the final out of that inning.
Joe Smith took over in the bottom of the seventh, getting one of the best innings on the mound for Houston in the game with a five-pitch 1-2-3 inning. Will Smith was next, and he would work around a couple of hits in the bottom of the eighth to send the game to the ninth. Houston would come up empty in the top of the ninth, despite getting runners on the corners with one out, extending the series one last game.
Up Next: The series will come to its ultimate conclusion with Game 5 on Thursday night in Houston at Minute Maid Park. The game should get underway at 6:07 PM Central and will be the final game of the divisional round of the playoffs. Gerrit Cole will be on the mound for Houston looking to replicate the success he had in a great Game 2, while the Rays have not yet announced their starter, though they will likely use several pitchers, including Tyler Glasnow who started Game 1 for Tampa Bay.
The Astros playoff report is presented by APG&E.
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Jamal Murray had 39 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 17 points and nine rebounds and the Denver Nuggets beat Houston 116-111 on Sunday night to snap the Rockets' nine-game win streak.
Murray, who scored 17 in the first half, had 17 in the third quarter as Denver outscored the Rockets 39-22 in the quarter to take a 96-79 lead.
Russell Westbrook had 14 points off the bench, Aaron Gordon scored 13 points with eight assists and DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, which shot 51% and were 10 of 21 on 3-pointers.
Jalen Green scored 30 points, and Dillon Brooks added 21 points for Houston. Alperen Sengun had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Steven Adams finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, which shot 44% and were 11 of 34 from behind the arc.
Trailing 109-100 with 1 ½ minutes left, Houston used a 7-1 run to cut the lead to three on a Sengun layup with 21 seconds left, but Christian Braun made two free throws with 19 seconds remaining to push the lead back to five.
Takeaways
Nuggets: Nikola Jokic missed his fourth straight game with left ankle impingement, and Denver improved to 2-2 with him out of the lineup.
Rockets: Houston remains in second place in the Western Conference with 10 games left, but the Nuggets closed to within a game of Houston.
Key moment
Sengun made one of two free throws with 14 seconds remaining, and Murray made two free throws two seconds later to push the lead to 114-108.
Key stat
Houston finished 22 of 34 from the free throw line, while Denver made 18 of 26.
Up next
Denver hosts the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, while Houston hosts the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.