WASHINGTON _ Jose Urquidy, a full-bearded easy-throwing right-handed pitcher from Mexico, was an afterthought in the World Series before Saturday.
The 24-year-old rookie had seven starts on his major league resume, all in the regular season, and had made just two playoff relief appearances. The Houston Astros chose him to start Game 4 on Saturday night, but it was not the usual nod. They were fully prepared to pull him at the first sign of trouble and proceed with an endless procession of relievers. Simply getting through the Washington Nationals' lineup twice was the objective.
"We trust you, but not really," was the gist.
Urquidy responded by surpassing the Astros' wildest expectations with five scoreless innings. The anticipated reliever rollout never materialized, and the Astros blew the game open in the seventh inning on Alex Bregman's grand slam to seal an 8-1 victory at Nationals Park.
Two days ago, the Astros, after posting the best regular-season record in the majors, arrived in Washington staggered after two losses at home with their best starting pitchers on the mound. The series is now tied at two games apiece with the road team having won each of the first four games. Game 5 will be played Sunday with President Trump in attendance. It will be Gerrit Cole against Max Scherzer in a rematch of Game 1.
One of the differences between these two clubs _ and one of the few areas the Nationals were assumed to have a distinct advantage _ is their starting pitching depth. While both teams have three premier pitchers fronting their starting rotations, the Nationals employ a fourth pitcher _ Anibal Sanchez _ they have entrusted to log a starter's workload in the postseason. The Astros do not.
The Astros haven't had a clear No. 4 starter after Cole, Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke in the playoffs. Those three pitchers started each of their five games in the ALDS. In Game 6 of the ALCS, they used Brad Peacock as an opener for 1 2/3 innings before deploying six relievers against the New York Yankees.
Urquidy was one of the six. He allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings in the pennant-clinching win. He hadn't started a game since Sept. 27 before becoming the third Mexican-born pitcher to start a World Series contest Saturday. The Astros chose him after using five relievers to record 13 outs in Game 3 in hopes that he could provide some length.
The Nationals, meanwhile, signed Patrick Corbin to a six-year, $140 million contract last offseason for nights like these.
Corbin's effectiveness usually depends on whether he can entice hitters into chasing his slider out of the strike zone. He led the majors with an .087 batting average against on pitches out the strike zone during the regular season. His success requires two steps: ensuring the slider looked like a fastball out of his hand for deception and consistently getting ahead in the count.
The problem was the Astros are experts at laying off pitches that look like strikes before diving out of the zone. And they came prepared with a clear game plan; they were focused on ambushing Corbin early in counts before he could weaponize that slider. The strategy was soundly executed in the first inning; Houston collected two singles on the first pitch of an at-bat, one on the second pitch, and one on the third.
The four singles produced two runs before Carlos Correa walked on seven pitches to load the bases with one out. Corbin slithered free before another run scored by getting Robinson Chirinos to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Nationals pitching coach Paul Menhart paid Corbin a visit before facing Chirinos. He then threw two change-ups after not throwing one to the first six hitters he faced. Corbin had used that pitch 5.8% of the time during the regular season. It was an adjustment. Two innings later, Chirinos countered.
After Correa drew a leadoff walk, Corbin tried sneaking an 0-1 change-up by Chirinos. The pitch hung and Chirinos blasted it to the seats beyond the left-field wall, giving Houston a 4-0 lead. Chirinos became the first catcher to homer in consecutive World Series games since Ted Simmons in 1982. Corbin allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings. The outing was far from sterling, but it kept the Nationals in the game.
On the other side, Urquidy made the Astros' path to 27 outs easier than they ever could've imagined. He held the Nationals to two hits. He walked none and struck out four. He kept right-handed batters off balance with his slider and flummoxed lefties with his plus changeup. He pumped a 96-mph fastball by Juan Soto to strike him out in the fourth inning. He was dealing without any evidence that he was laboring after tossing 67 pitches. But Astros manager A.J. Hinch was unwilling to let him face the Nationals' lineup a third time and took him out.
Josh James was summoned to pitch the sixth inning. Trouble brewed immediately. James walked two of the three batters he faced before he was removed for Will Harris, Houston's relief ace. Anthony Rendon greeted Harris with a comebacker that bounced away to load the bases for Juan Soto. Hinch's decision to pull Urquidy was on the verge of disaster. But Harris got Soto to roll a groundball over to first base and struck out Howie Kendrick to limit the damage to one run.
The Nationals' transition to the relief corps started the same way but ended very differently. Like James, Tanner Rainey faced three batters and walked two of them before he was yanked. Nationals manager Dave Martinez chose Fernando Rodney, a 42-year-old right-hander. Like Harris, he gave up a single to fill the bases.
Bregman, however, didn't roll a groundball over like Soto. Rodney initiated the battle against the Astros' MVP candidate with a change-up for a strike. The next pitch was a 93-mph fastball down and in. Bregman dropped his hands and golfed it down the left-field line, stamping a win on a night when the Astros overcame their biggest disadvantage in the series.
