Astros force the series back to Houston

Astros stave off elimination with World Series Game 5 win over Braves

Houston Astros' Yuli Gurriel and Alex Bregman
After some rough outings in the early games of the 2021 World Series, Houston's offense came alive in Game 5 to stave off elimination. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

After some rough outings in the early games of the 2021 World Series, Houston's offense came alive in Game 5 to stave off elimination.

When your back is against the wall, you have no other option than to fight. The Astros had their backs pressed even tighter against the proverbial wall to start Game 5, but that wasn't the end of their story. After going down 4-0 on a first-inning grand slam by the Braves, the Astros rallied back to take Game 5.

Final Score: Astros 9, Braves 5

World Series (Best of Seven): Atlanta leads 3-2

Winning Pitcher: Jose Urquidy

Losing Pitcher: A.J. Minter

Valdez struggles and gives up a slam, but Houston claws back

When in a game facing elimination, the best thing you can do is get out to a hot start. That did not happen for the Astros, when in fact, the exact opposite occurred as the Braves would appear to put things out of reach in the very first inning. After Houston wasted a one-out walk in the top of the first, Atlanta loaded the bases on two singles and a walk in the bottom half.

That brought Adam Duvall to the plate against Framber Valdez, and he delivered a momentous grand slam to put the Astros in a 4-0 hole. Houston did not hang their heads and give up, though, as, in the very next half-inning, they would cut the lead in half. After getting two on base, Alex Bregman, the now seven-hole hitter after being moved down the lineup, would deliver Houston's first run of the night with an RBI double. Martin Maldonado followed that with a sac fly, making it a 4-2 game.

Valdez was able to retire Atlanta 1-2-3 in the bottom of the second, and then in the top of the third, an RBI double by Carlos Correa cut the lead to one run before a game-tying RBI groundout by Yuli Gurriel made it a brand new ballgame at 4-4. Valdez's last inning came in the third, as a leadoff homer by Freddie Freeman would put the Braves back on top 5-4. Houston's starter would face three more batters, getting two outs before a walk to end his night, as Yimi Garcia would come in to finish the frame.

Houston takes the lead

Houston did not waste time showing they were going all-in for Game 5, as in the bottom of the fourth, they brought in Jose Urquidy, who was able to erase a leadoff single for a scoreless inning. The Astros got a much-needed big top of the fifth, loading the bases on two singles and an intentional walk before Martin Maldonado would tie the game with an RBI walk. The Astros then pinch-hit Marwin Gonzalez in the pitcher's spot in the lineup, and in shades of the 2017 World Series, he delivered a go-ahead two-RBI single to make it a 7-5 Houston lead.

Phil Maton took over out of the bullpen in the bottom of the fifth, and despite a two-out double, he was able to maintain the new two-run lead. He returned in the bottom of the sixth and was again able to strand a runner after giving up a one-out single but retiring the next two batters. Houston padded their lead in the top of the seventh, getting a one-out double by Kyle Tucker, who then scored on an RBI single by Maldonado, his third run driven in on the night.

Astros avoid elimination and force the series back to Houston

Ryne Stanek had the bottom of the seventh, and he had a great inning, retiring the top of Atlanta's order 1-2-3 on twelve pitches. Jose Altuve led off the top of the eighth with a single, then stole second to get in position for an RBI single by Correa to make it a four-run game at 9-5. Kendall Graveman was next out of Houston's bullpen for the bottom of the eighth, and he was able to strand a leadoff single by Austin Riley to send the game to the ninth.

After a scoreless top-half, Graveman kept going on the mound in the bottom of the ninth and finished off the win for Houston with a scoreless inning. The Astros completed their mission for Game 5, getting the victory to move the series back to Houston where they, with another win in Game 6, can force a winner-take-all Game 7 to erase the 3-1 deficit.

Up Next: Game 6 of the 2021 World Series will be on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park and will have a 7:09 PM Central scheduled time of the first pitch, but as far as starters go, both teams will have to figure that out between now and then.

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Stefon Diggs faces his former team on Sunday. Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images.

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.

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