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Astros Crush Nationals in Game 4 and Tie the World Series - The New York Times

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WASHINGTON — The Houston Astros spent the summer in a race to win more games than any other team in baseball to secure home-field advantage throughout the postseason — only to squander it in stunning fashion by losing the first two games of the World Series.

But facing the possibility that their season could end in bleak disappointment this weekend, the resilient Astros came on the road, of all places, and took that advantage back.

Behind an unexpectedly dominating performance by starting pitcher Jose Urquidy, a rookie from Mazatlán, Mexico, and a grand slam by Alex Bregman that blew the game open in the seventh inning, the Astros beat the Washington Nationals, 8-1, in Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday and sent a wave of dread through the nation’s capital.

The best-of-seven series is now tied, two games apiece, with Game 5 scheduled for Sunday in Washington. Then it will shift back to Houston, where the Astros won 60 games in the regular season and are 5-3 in the postseason.

But perhaps it does not even matter in this series, since the road team has won all four games.

Game 5 will feature a rematch of the Game 1 duel between Gerrit Cole of Houston and the Nationals’ Max Scherzer, a pair of aces who are expected to dominate whenever they take the mound. But Urquidy, a 24-year-old right-hander who had never played above Class A until this year — and did not pitch in the majors until July — was just as good.

With his team in need of a command performance — or at least four strong innings before handing things over to the bullpen — Urquidy gave the performance of his life.

When he took the mound in a stadium packed with loud, expectant fans dressed in Nationals red, Urquidy became only the third pitcher born in Mexico to start a World Series game, joining Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 and Jaime Garcia in 2011.

But with the aplomb of a veteran molded in the crucible of postseason play, he withstood a hostile environment and shut down a team that had scored 12 runs in Game 2. He used a variety of pitches and speeds to perplex his opponents over five innings and walked off the mound with a 4-0 lead, having allowed only two hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Then it was Bregman’s turn. The Houston third baseman had been fighting his way though a challenging postseason. Heading into Game 4, he was batting .208 in 14 postseason contests, with just one hit — a homer in Game 2 — in the World Series.

In Game 3 on Friday he went 0 for 5 and stranded six runners on base. Worse, the Nationals walked Michael Brantley intentionally in that game to load the bases in order to pitch to the struggling Bregman, and he made an out.

Game 4 was different for him from the beginning. Bregman laced a run-scoring single in the first inning to give the Houston a 1-0 advantage, and then in the seventh he came to the plate with the bases loaded once again and the Astros looking to extend a 4-1 lead.

This time Bregman delivered, crushing a 0-1 sinker from Fernando Rodney into the seats in left field. As his teammates jumped and shouted, Bregman rounded the bases in a stadium full of stunned fans, so silent that the cheers from the players in the Astros dugout could be heard in the upper deck.

Bregman finished 3 for 5 with five R.B.I. and stranded only one runner.

The rest of the Astros pounced, too, and early, scoring twice in the top of the first inning off Patrick Corbin, Washington’s left-handed starter, to dissipate much of the energy that had been building before the game at the park.

It was a resumption of their approach in Game 3. After losing the first two games, the Astros players spent much of their time on Thursday’s flight to Washington discussing the importance of a more-measured approach at the plate, rather than grunting out all-or-nothing swings for the fences.

But they still hit home runs. Robinson Chirinos, the catcher who had homered in Game 3, hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning on Saturday, and Urquidy refused to give any of it back.

Urquidy used a combination of his high fastball, changeup and slider, and occasionally dropped in a bottom-heavy curveball for big swings and misses, like the first pitch he threw to Ryan Zimmerman in the fifth inning. But he was also unafraid to challenge the hitters with power, like he did with Zimmerman in the same at-bat, finishing him off with a 95-miles-per-hour fastball.

As the previously unheralded rookie vexed the frustrated Washington hitters, Nationals Manager Dave Martinez paced in the dugout. His players had performed so well in the first two games, but after Game 3, in which Washington went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 batters, he had lamented that they were too aggressive on bad pitches.

“I don’t mind our guys being aggressive, but I want them to be aggressive in the strike zone today,” he said before Game 4. “We were one or two big hits away from blowing that game open, so hopefully we get those today.”

They did not, and now the World Series is essentially a best-of-three affair, with the home teams still looking for a win.

James Wagner provided updates and analysis during Game 4, as it happened:

Here’s what you need to know:

The Astros would have extended their lead to 9-1 if not for Juan Soto’s left arm. Robinson Chirinos doubled and tried to score on a single by Jake Marisnick. But Soto fired a strong throw home and Chirinos couldn’t beat it. In the bottom half of the inning, Chris Devenski finished the victory.

In Game 5, Gerrit Cole will start for the Astros while Max Scherzer will take the mound for the Nationals, a rematch of Game 1. Regardless of the outcome, there will be at least a Game 6 in Houston on Tuesday.

Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman each slapped singles off Javy Guerra, but the Astros couldn’t tack on any more runs. The Nationals threatened to mount a rally in the bottom half of the inning when Anthony Rendon reached on a throwing error by Jose Altuve and Juan Soto walked with one out. Peacock wriggled out of his own jam by striking out Howie Kendrick and getting Ryan Zimmerman to fly out to right field.

This is where the lack of a deep bullpen hurts the Nationals. A deeper relief corps could have kept the game within striking distance. But it all started to go downhill when Tanner Rainey — who, like Josh James, throws hard and strikes out many but also walks many — walked Kyle Tucker and George Springer to start the frame. He got one out before being replaced with Fernando Rodney.

Rodney coughed up a single to Michael Brantley and then threw a fastball low and in to Alex Bregman, who had been relatively quiet this World Series. Bregman kept his swing compact and direct, blistering the pitch over left field wall for a grand slam. It put the Astros ahead by 8-1 and, barring a meltdown, all but assured that the series will return to Houston for at least a Game 6.

Bregman held the bat out with his left arm extended as he started to walk out of the box, enjoying his handiwork. A small group of Astros fans in the upper right field deck chanted “M-V-P!”

The Astros used Hector Rondon and Brad Peacock in the bottom half of the inning, and pitched out of a jam with two men on base. Yuli Gurriel made a great diving play to stop a Trea Turner ground ball and he dove again to reach first base for the final out. Turner, who is exceptionally speedy, probably should have run through first base instead of diving, which slowed his momentum.

It Corbin’s last inning, but also one of his best. He retired his ninth straight batter. He recovered from his miscues to toss six innings on 96 pitches, sparing the Nationals bullpen from more heavy lifting. Gerardo Parra pinch hit for Corbin in the bottom of the frame. But will the Nationals be able to solve the Astros’ pitchers?

Astros Manager A.J. Hinch yanked Urquidy after 67 pitches. His spot was due up in the bottom half of the frame, so Urquidy could have kept pitching. The move immediately backfired for Hinch until Will Harris saved the day.

Josh James, the hard-throwing command-challenged reliever, walked Parra, struck out Trea Turner and walked Adam Eaton. Harris, a stout reliever who got five outs on 25 pitches on Friday, took over. He coughed up a single to Anthony Rendon to load the bases and then a ground out by Juan Soto scored a run to trim the Nationals’ deficit to 4-1. Harris then fired some good cutters to strike out Howie Kendrick and end the threat.

A much quieter inning all around. Corbin went 1-2-3 in the top half. Alex Bregman still isn’t swinging quite like himself. He got two balls from Corbin and then swung at a high fastball he probably should have let go by. He is 2 for 16 this postseason.

Urquidy is rolling. He fired 15 pitches to get a 1-2-3 bottom half of the inning. He has thrown just 67 pitches, continuing to spare the bullpen in the biggest game of his career.

Ruh-roh. Nationals Park got a quieter when Robinson Chirinos smashed a no-doubt two-run blast off Corbin to left field to give the Astros a 4-0 lead. Corbin has not been particularly sharp. He walked Carlos Correa to lead off the frame. Then he threw a change-up right down the middle to Chirinos, who blasted it. He stood near home plate admiring his work for a bit, too.

Only three of Chirinos’ 17 home runs during the regular season were against left-handed pitchers. This was his second home run of the World Series.

Corbin is at 67 pitches and the Nationals will need him to still eat innings and keep the score close.

Urquidy is making good pitches around the edges of the strike zone to neutralize the Nationals lineup. He pitched Anthony Rendon away, Juan Soto in and Howie Kendrick up and down. He through four scoreless innings on 52 pitches, a big lift so far for the Astros.

Michael Brantley continues to power the Astros offense. He and Jose Altuve lead the team with seven hits each this World Series. Brantley singled with one out in the top of the frame. But Corbin got Alex Bregman, who is struggling, to chase a change-up and struck out Yuli Gurriel with some good sliders.

Yan Gomes got the first extra-base hit of the game: a double to lead off the bottom of the frame. Urquidy escaped when Corbin put down a sacrifice bunt and Gomes couldn’t advance, Trea Turner grounded out and shortstop Carlos Correa made a nice play to nab a pop-up off Adam Eaton’s bat into shallow left field.

A much cleaner effort from Corbin. After needing 26 pitches in the first inning, he fired only 9 to get through the bottom of the Astros lineup.

Urquidy is attacking the Nationals with a lot of 95-mile per hour fastballs and sliders. He has used just 24 pitches to get six outs. Even though it is a bullpen game for the Astros, Manager A.J. Hinch said this before the game: “I would love for Urquidy to go five, six innings, whatever he can do. And maybe we don’t have to use as many pitchers.”

The Astros’ plan against Corbin was clear from the start: Swing early in the count. They did so successfully in the first inning. Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel all notched singles within the first three pitches of their at-bats. The result: two runs, driven in by Bregman and Gurriel. Robinson Chirinos could have made it worse for the Nationals, but he grounded into an inning-ending double play started by third baseman Anthony Rendon.

Urquidy made quick work of the Nationals in the bottom half on 11 pitches. Rendon singled, but Urquidy got two pop-outs and a lineout.

Astros

1. George Springer, RF

2. Jose Altuve, 2B

3. Michael Brantley, LF

4. Alex Bregman, 3B

5. Yuli Gurriel, 1B

6. Carlos Correa, SS

7. Robinson Chirinos, C

8. Jake Marisnick, CF

9. Jose Urquidy, P

Nationals

1. Trea Turner, SS

2. Adam Eaton, RF

3. Anthony Rendon, 3B

4. Juan Soto, LF

5. Howie Kendrick, 2B

6. Ryan Zimmerman, 1B

7. Victor Robles, CF

8. Yan Gomes, C

9. Patrick Corbin, P

  • The Houston Astros gave themselves a fighting chance with their 4-1 win over the Washington Nationals in Game 3 on Friday. Even though the Nationals still lead the series, two games to one, the Astros made a dent in the odds.

    Teams that hold a two-games-to-one advantage in the World Series have gone on to win the series nearly 66 percent of the time (59 of the past 90 instances). The most recent examples of teams that held such an edge that went on to lose the World Series: the 2014 Kansas City Royals (falling to the San Francisco Giants in seven games) and the 2016 Cleveland Indians (falling to the Chicago Cubs in seven games).

  • Jose Urquidy, the Astros rookie, will start Game 4. It will be a bullpen game for the Astros, so expect many pitching changes. He will be the third Mexico-born pitcher to start a World Series game, and the second rookie to do so. The first rookie was the former Los Angeles Dodgers star Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.

  • Even though the Astros are starting a rookie and plan to lean heavily on their bullpen for the second straight game, they may hold one advantage with their offense. Patrick Corbin is a strong left-handed pitcher; he went 14-7 with a 3.25 earned run average over 202 innings in the regular season. He has been less stellar during the postseason: 12 runs over 14 1/3 innings.

    The Astros were the best at making contact in the major leagues during the regular season, and they led in many offensive categories. Their lineup full of right-handers clobbered left-handed pitching: They were second in the major leagues with a .868 on-base-plus-slugging-percentage. Right-handed batters during the regular season versus Corbin: .704 O.P.S.

  • The Nationals avoided using their best relievers in Fridays’ game, such as Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson, which will allow Manager Dave Martinez to be more aggressive with them on Saturday. Catcher Kurt Suzuki left Friday’s game with a hip injury, but he was never expected to start on Saturday anyway, since Yan Gomes is often paired with Corbin.

  • Key hitters who have been mostly cold at the plate this postseason: the Astros’ star third baseman Alex Bregman is 1 for 13 and shortstop Carlos Correa is 2 for 13, while the Nationals’ star third baseman Anthony Rendon is 2 for 13.

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