BOSTON — What a difference 24 hours can make in October baseball.
Not long ago, it felt like the Red Sox were within touching distance of a fifth World Series appearance this century. Now it seems Boston has too long a road to travel following a second consecutive crushing loss to the Astros.
Houston has officially turned this American League Championship Series in its favor and will have two chances to close it out at Minute Maid Park. This impressive 9-1 victory over the Red Sox in Game 5 featured superb starting pitching from Framber Valdez, a powerful display at the plate from Yordan Alvarez and a relentless offense that made Boston surrender yet again.
The Astros blew open what was a 1-0 game by batting around in the top of the sixth inning. Houston chased Chris Sale, added on against Ryan Brasier and hushed the sellout crowd of 37,599 at Fenway Park. Rafael Devers broke up the shutout with a solo homer to deep right in the bottom of the seventh, but it was far too late for any magic on this gorgeous Wednesday night.
Alvarez provided plenty of offense
Alvarez did the statistically unlikely against Sale, and Houston now holds a 3-2 series lead as a result. He was just a triple shy of the cycle in three plate appearances after a two-run double in the top of the sixth made it a 3-0 game.
That finished the outing for Sale, who worked 5 1/3 frames and was charged with the loss. All three of his hits allowed came against Alvarez, who belted a solo homer to the Monster Seats in the second and smashed a single off the wall in the fourth. Rare is the left-handed hitter who can make the erstwhile Red Sox ace look so ordinary.
Sale dominated left-left matchups in his abbreviated 2021 campaign, allowing just a .346 OPS in those situations. He’s conceded only 12 home runs to left-handed hitters through 1,304 career regular season plate appearances. Those numbers had to influence the decision made by Boston manager Alex Cora as danger developed at the key moment.
Sale pitched to Alvarez a third time despite first base open and Brasier warming for Carlos Correa, who was on deck. There is certainly a question of how wise it would have been to match a middle reliever against a young superstar. But it’s indisputable that Alvarez got the better of Sale on this night – and, potentially, tipped the series for good.
Encouraging outing by Sale
The result being what it was, Sale showed some encouraging signs. This wasn’t the shelling he took in Game 2 of the A.L. Division Series against the Rays or the short stint he managed in his Game 1 start against the Astros.
Sale matched his October best by completing 5 1/3 innings and actually lowered his career postseason ERA from 6.91 to 6.35. The fastball he turned loose at 98.5 mph to end the top of the fourth with a strikeout of Kyle Tucker was his hardest since 2018. Sale fanned seven against two walks and averaged 95.3 mph with his four-seamer, almost two ticks above his season standard of 93.6.
Can this boost Sale into a more normal 2022 campaign? Cora frequently cites how Eduardo Rodriguez used his Game 4 start against the Dodgers in the 2018 World Series as a springboard to a career effort in 2019. Sale finding his velocity and performing reasonably well against a tough lineup might set him up to salvage the back end of the $145-million extension he signed through the 2024 season.
Sox couldn't solve Valdez
Valdez turned in the best start of the series — and, arguably, of this Major League Baseball postseason — by some distance. There were 26 games played this October before a pitcher completed the first eight innings in a single game — that's exactly what the 27-year-old did in this one.
Valdez set down the first 12 men he faced on just 46 pitches before Devers ripped a single through the right side to lead off the bottom of the fifth. He lost the same left-left matchup in the bottom of the seventh, as Devers hooked a solo homer around the Pesky Pole. Boston went just 1-for-23 against Valdez otherwise, striking out five times and managing a mere four balls out of the infield.
Valdez continues to extend what has been a scouting victory for the Houston front office. He signed for a meager $10,000 in March 2015 as a 21-year-old out of the Dominican Republic. Valdez debuted three years later and has now recorded victories in four different playoff series, pitching to a 2.77 ERA in 39 postseason innings.
Renfroe has gone ice cold
Hunter Renfroe has reverted to 2020 form at the exact wrong time. He dropped to 1-for-13 in this ALCS by grounding into a 6-4-3 double play in the bottom of the fifth, helping to kill the lone Boston rally of the evening.
Devers singled through the right side and J.D. Martinez was hit on the foot by a bouncing curveball from Valdez to create an instant threat. Renfroe pounded one into the dirt right at Correa, who helped open an escape hatch for his left-hander. Valdez wriggled through it when Alex Verdugo bounced weakly to first.
Renfroe slipped to 7-for-33 in the postseason overall after that at-bat. He added another 4-6-3 double play for good measure to end the bottom of the seventh. The Red Sox order certainly seemed more menacing with Martinez occupying the sixth spot, one that belonged to Renfroe on this night.
