Last night was a night of suspense. Two early leads, and two teams that couldn't help but make it interesting as the game went on. But both early leads held, which was a good thing for me, as they were both teams I wanted to win.
I called the Rangers beating up Framber Valdez. He hasn't completely had his dominance this year; perhaps being so good last year has thrown him off long term, which is a depressing thought. But early on, the Rangers offense got to Valdez, and Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia, Mitch Garver and Nate Lowe had crucial RBIs. An inning later, Jonah Heim made it 5 runs. It was just a matter of whether or not the Rangers' pitching could hold them.
And in moments, I worried they couldn't. Nate Eovaldi thankfully brought his best stuff yesterday, but he still gave up 3 of the Astros' 4 runs, including one of Yordan Alvarez's 2 home runs yesterday [DURING A LOSS. WHAT ARE THEY FEEDING THIS GUY??]. And even Aroldis Chapman threatened to derail the good vibes by giving up the second Alvarez homer. But Jose Leclerc proved himself yet again, and the Rangers put themselves up 2-0 heading back across the state.
The Rangers have a massive advantage for this homestretch. AND they have Max Scherzer healthy for tomorrow night, so that should be an interesting variable. I really hope the Rangers leg it out, it'd fulfill their season-long goal of getting past these blasted Astros.
I said that I predicted Valdez falling apart. I did NOT predict Zac Gallen giving up all those homers.
Honest to God, I thought this would be a pitching duel. Gallen sharp, Wheeler sharp, somebody eventually slipping. But the bats got to Gallen early, as not only did Kyle Schwarber crack one leading off, but both Nick Castellanos and birthday boy Bryce Harper continued their reign of terror this postseason. Even if Wheeler eventually gave up a homer to Geraldo Perdomo after going 5 strong, Gallen drew first blood and the D-Backs couldn't recover.
The Phillies had their usual array of strong performances across the board. I am really liking this Johan Rojas kid in center, he's an excellent defensive weapon, and he's good for some contact hitting as well. I hope he has continued success in Philly.
Tonight is gonna be tough though. Merrill Kelly has been untouchable all postseason, and Aaron Nola, even if he's been sharp in October, is still 2023 Aaron Nola. The D-Backs could look to even the series, so hopefully the Phillies don't get too comfortable.
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