The Astros went into Game 7 knowing that ace Gerrit Cole would be available in relief should starter Zack Greinke need to make an early exit, but Cole never made an appearance in a must-win game when the rest of the Astros’ bullpen was struggling.
With Zack Greinke pitching a gem through five innings, Cole warmed up in the bullpen, but never got the call to make what would have been his first career appearance in relief.
Instead, manager A.J. Hinch turned to reliever Will Harris, who promptly gave up a two-run home run to Howie Kendrick that gave the Nationals a 3-2 lead.
Hinch emptied his bullpen from there. Closer Roberto Osuna replaced Harris in the seventh, but allowed a run of his own. Ryan Pressly contributed one out, and Joe Smith allowed two more runs in the top of the ninth to make it a 6-2 game. Game 4 starter Jose Urquidy closed out the top of the ninth for the Astros.
[UPDATE]: Cole sent a message after the Astros’ loss
Hinch was forced to make two incredibly difficult decisions in the seventh inning. He could have left Greinke – who only threw 80 pitches through 6.1 innings – in the game with a man on first base. Instead, he chose to pull Greinke, and then overlooked arguably his best pitcher. Fans and analysts alike were stunned.
