Houston gets back into the series with a win on the road
Astros playoff report presented by APG&E: Houston takes World Series Game 3 in D.C. to get back on track
Oct 25, 2019, 11:10 pm
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
Jose Altuve scores on a night of much improved offense in World Series Game 3
After falling into a 2-0 hole with losses in both Games 1 and 2 in Houston, the Astros had to get things back under control with a win in Game 3 to avoid going down 3-0. They accomplished that mission, getting a 4-1 victory by getting a much better offensive night, including performing better in scoring opportunities. Here is a recap of World Series Game 3 from D.C.:
Final Score: Astros 4, Nationals 1.
Series: Nationals lead 2-1.
Winning Pitcher: Josh James.
Losing Pitcher: Anibal Sanchez.
Houston strikes first
With their offensive woes on display in the first two games, George Springer tried to quickly turn the tide with a leadoff infield single in the top of the first inning of World Series Game 3. Jose Altuve nearly scored him with a long drive to center field, but instead would be the first out on a terrific running catch by Victor Robles. Springer would steal second, but be stranded as the first runner in scoring position. They would get on the board in the top of the second, getting a one-out double by Carlos Correa, who would score on a bloop single by Josh Reddick, making it 1-0.
The @Astros silence the crowd. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/NZMzb8Z4hl
— MLB (@MLB) October 26, 2019
The next two batters would reach base, bringing up Zack Greinke, who would put down a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third for George Springer, who would groundout to strand both runners. Altuve led off the top of the third with a double and was able to advance to third as Juan Soto would have trouble with the ball in the left-field corner. That set up Michael Brantley for an RBI infield single, extending the early lead to 2-0.
Greinke holds the lead but unable to complete five innings
Meanwhile, Zack Greinke was able to work in and out of trouble through the first three innings. He worked around a two-out double in the bottom of the first, then after allowing back-to-back singles to start the bottom of the second, was able to get a strikeout and double play to strand both runners. He faced another jam in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with two outs before getting a pivotal strikeout to leave all three Nationals on base.
Got out of the jam with the s l o w filth. 😳 #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/dyzn8r8Cke
— MLB (@MLB) October 26, 2019
Washington would get on the board in the bottom of the fourth, getting a leadoff walk that would score on a one-out RBI-triple by Victor Robles to cut Houston's lead in half at 2-1. Houston was able to get the run right back in the top of the fifth as Altuve and Brantley combined for a score with a one-out double then RBI-single, making it 3-1.
Greinke would continue into the fifth, but after two outs and putting runners on second and third after a two-out double, would see his night ended as Houston went to Josh James, who would get the final out of the inning. Greinke's final line: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 0 HR.
Chirinos homers as Houston's bullpen holds on to the lead
In the top of the sixth, Robinson Chirinos pushed Houston's lead to three runs with a one-out solo home run, making it a 4-1 game. Kyle Tucker would pinch-hit in the pitcher's spot next, and after a lengthy at-bat against Anibal Sanchez, was able to work a walk to end Sanchez's night and cause Washington to dip into their bullpen. Tucker stole second and was able to advance to third on an errant throw, but despite the Astros loading the bases would not be able to add any more to their lead.
DOINK! #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/2fk9byxoG3
— MLB (@MLB) October 26, 2019
Brad Peacock took over on the mound for the bottom of the sixth, but after back-to-back one-out walks was lifted in favor of Will Harris, who would finish off the inning. He would return for the bottom of the seventh and be able to retire the Nationals in order, getting five big outs for his team, heading to the eighth with a 4-1 lead. Houston tasked Joe Smith with the bottom of the eighth, and he was able to work around a one-out single to send the game to the ninth.
The Astros then turned to their closer, Roberto Osuna, in the bottom of the ninth to hold on to the three-run lead. He would do so as Houston would avoid going down 3-0 in the series and would instead make it a much more competitive 2-1 deficit heading to Game 4.
Up Next: World Series Game 4 will get underway on Saturday with another 7:07 PM Central start time. The Nationals will start Patrick Corbin, who before his one-inning relief appearance in Game 1 of this series last started a game in NLCS Game 4 where he went five innings during which he allowed four earned runs. The Astros will give the nod to Jose Urquidy, who last pitched out of the bullpen in ALCS Game 6, where he went 2.2 innings while allowing a solo home run.
The Astros playoff report is presented by APG&E.
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Josh Allen has never said a bad word about Stefon Diggs. As the Buffalo Bills prepare to face their former star receiver in a visit to Houston on Sunday, he insists the two went their separate ways on good terms.
And the quarterback wasn’t changing his stance a week ago, not wanting to ruffle any feathers when asked about the early season success the Bills have enjoyed with their spread-the-ball motto on offense.
He later explained that he spoke out after reading comments on social media in which people were attempting to twist the “everybody eats” motto into something being directed at Diggs.
Allen understands why Buffalo facing Diggs for the first time since a blockbuster trade sent him to Houston this offseason is a big deal. He raved about his former teammate.
“I’ve got a lot of love for him. I still do,” Allen said. “The things that he did for me in my career, and the things that he did in a Buffalo Bill uniform won’t be forgotten anytime soon, especially from me … (but) going into Year 7, I understand the business, and the aspect of what this league is, and again, I’m just trying to focus on what we got going on in this building.”
Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowler, is second on the Texans with 25 receptions for 233 yards. He has two receiving touchdowns and had the first rushing score of his career last week against the Jaguars. He spent the last four seasons in Buffalo, where he had more than 1,100 yards receiving each year, highlighted by an NFL-leading and career-high 1,535 yards in 2020.
He didn’t address Allen directly this week when talking about his time in Buffalo. Diggs did say his tenure with the Bills was “amazing” but that he’s solely focused on his future now and not interested in rehashing the past.
“A lot of other people are going to feel a way or have a lot to say about X, Y, Z, and I’m not mad at it,” he said Wednesday. “Football is a very emotional sport. I go in there and wear my heart on my sleeve, and I won’t stop, but for me, I block out the noise.”
“Nobody is going to run the routes but me,” he continued. “Nobody is going to watch the tape but me. I try not to get back into the back and forth about the opinions or how people feel. I’ve got a job to do; I try to get it done.”
Diggs has helped the Texans to a 3-1 start and Allen hasn’t missed a beat without him. The Bills also are 3-1, though they’re looking to bounce back after a 35-10 loss to the Ravens last week.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans certainly knew how talented Diggs was when he arrived in Houston but said he has been pleasantly surprised to see his passion for the game.
“He loves football … you see it in the way he practices, the way he plays the game,” Ryans said. “He loves ball, he plays with effort and that is all you want.”
The blame game
Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady was still kicking himself for calling a trick play that backfired, squelching any chance of a Buffalo rally in the loss to Baltimore.
After opening the second half with a TD to cut the deficit to 21-10, the Bills faced second-and-7 at the Baltimore 44, when receiver Curtis Samuel took a direct snap and pitched the ball to Allen. The Ravens weren’t fooled and forced a fumble, which led to a TD six plays later.
“I probably can’t say it on Zoom,” Brady said when asked to sum up the call in one word. “There’s no excuses. I can give the justification of why it was on the call sheet, but at the end of the day, the timing was not what it should’ve been and it was costly.”
Nico’s start
While much of the focus this week has been on Diggs facing his former team, the star of Houston’s offense so far this season has been another receiver. Nico Collins had a career-high 12 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars for his third 100-yard game this season. He leads the NFL with 489 yards receiving and is the first player in franchise history with more than 450 yards receiving though the first four games.
“He’s a strong, physical, fast, and big receiver,” Ryans said. “That’s an easy target for C.J. (Stroud) and Nico has showed up every time that we needed him.”
Feeding Samuel
In the Bills’ “everybody eats” motto on offense, Samuel has had difficulty finding a regular place at the table. The eighth-year player who enjoyed his best season in Carolina under Brady as the Panthers coordinator in 2020 has been limited to eight catches for 48 yards. More curious is Samuel has been on the field for only 68 of a total of 230 offensive snaps.
“We’d love to get him going and whether or not Khalil is in or out this week,” Allen said, referring to receiver Khalil Shakir, who is nursing a right ankle injury. “So we’re going to be calling on his number, and he is going to have to step up, make some plays, which we’ve got no doubt in his ability.”
Update: Shakir has been ruled out (ankle) for Sunday's game.